Conference on sustainable finance

The Malta Institute of Accountants is hosting a high-profile conference on the impact of sustainable accounting on financial reporting, on Wednesday September 22.  The one-day event examines the anticipated transformations affecting the sector in the wake of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) review by the European Commission.

The theme of the conference – A New Mindset: Reduce. Reuse. Report – reflects a growing awareness among professionals about their responsibility towards sustainability in the private and public sectors. The accountancy profession has been moving fast in recent years to set common standards on non-financial disclosures, particularly on issues surrounding Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) concerns.

The CSRD was introduced to guide listed and large companies on how to share information about the impact of business on people and the environment. Now, the EC is proposing extending these requirements to other non-listed and smaller organisations.

“The MIA Biennial Conference is a platform for the accountancy profession to set the agenda on pressing matters,” said the President of the Institute of Accountants, Mr Fabio Axisa. “Businesses have a responsibility to consider the broader implications of their activities and accountants are leading that change in mindset. This is the right time to discuss sustainable reporting in finance and the Institute is delighted to present such an outstanding programme.”

The MIA event brings together the major stakeholders driving the shift towards sustainable accounting both locally and in the region. Participating bodies include Accountancy Europe; the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants; CORE Europe Direct Centre; the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales; the International Federation of Accountants; the Chamber of SMEs; the Malta Chamber of Commerce; and Big 4 International and Local Sustainability Champions.

Representatives from the European Commission and the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group will also shed light on the theme from a public interest perspective while a distinguished line-up of speakers and experts from Malta and abroad will address the event.

The main themes for discussion will be presented by Mr Antoine Fenech, Deloitte Senior Manager of Assurance; Mr Arnaud van Dijk, Director, KPMG in the Cayman Islands; Mr Chris Meilak, EY Malta Executive Director, Strategy & Transactions; Mr Damian Regan, Assurance Leader for Sustainability at Deloitte’s Middle East; Dr Ivan Grixti, Senior lecturer at the University of Malta; Mr Massimo Bettanin, Partner EY Malta, Dr Michael Xuereb, MFSA Chief Officer Strategy, Policy and Innovation; Mr Olivier Boutellis-Taft, Accountancy Europe Chief Executive Officer; Mr Ulrich Hartmann, Compliance, Risk & Regulation in Financial Services, PwC Germany.

Registrations for the MIA Biennial Conference are now open. The full list of guest speakers and a detailed event schedule are available on https://www.miamalta.org/The-MIA-Biennial-2021.