Moscow Exchange rings the bell for gender equality
On 12 March 2019, Moscow Exchange opened the trading day with a ceremony dedicated to gender equality and recognition of the contribution women make to business, politics and the economy. The global initiative Ring the Bell for Gender Equality was held this year for the fifth time around International Women’s Day (8 March), with 83 securities exchanges participating. Moscow Exchange rang the bell for the second year in a row.
Participants in the ceremony included Ring the Bell global coordinator Ulrika Johansson, Swedish Ambassador to the Russian Federation Peter Ericson, female business leaders from companies including ABB, Alrosa, Google, Inter RAO, Rusal and Sistema, as well as representatives of the financial community from Alfa Bank, Aton, Citibank, Gazprombank, Morgan Stanley, Rosbank, Sberbank, UniCredit Bank and VTB Capital.
Alexander Afanasiev, Chief Executive Officer of Moscow Exchange, said:
"It is an honor for Moscow Exchange to ring the opening bell for gender equality today, alongside the organizers of this important global initiative. Gender equality and the active participation of women in the political and economic life of the country are essential to a modern society and important criteria in assessing ESG performance of listed companies. In recent years the interest in ESG investing has increased markedly, with a focus on improving societies and protecting the environment. In response to this trend, MOEX has established a Sustainability Sector, which includes ‘green bonds’ and ‘social bonds’ that will allow issuers and investors to position themselves with regards to these investment criteria."
The Ring the Bell for Gender Equality initiative brings together female leaders from business, the investment community and governments around the world. Organizers of the initiative include the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), the IFC, the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative, UN Global Compact, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality (UN Women) and Women in ETFs.
The key objectives of the initiative are to raise awareness about the business case for women’s economic empowerment and the opportunities for the private sector to advance gender equality and sustainable development.