TAIPEI, Nov. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Taipei Exchange (TPEx) hosted the 2026 Taiwan Week Forum, "Building a New Core of Asian Bond Market," on November 5. Focusing on expanding Taiwan's bond market, strengthening international linkages, and advancing sustainable and transition finance, the forum drew regulators, issuers, financial institutions, and experts to a full house.

TPEx Chairman Lih-Chung Chien said that, in support of the government's Asian Asset Management Center initiative, TPEx aims to expand and internationalize Taiwan's bond market. In 2025, straight corporate bond issuance reached a record NT$778.3 billion, while sustainable bonds exceeded NT$200 billion. International bonds account for 37% of Taiwan's outstanding bond market, with more than 90% issued by foreign entities.

Dr. Jin-Lung Peng, Chairperson of the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), noted that Taiwan's bond market exceeds NT$18 trillion, with issuers from 33 countries. The FSC and TPEx have launched an expansion plan targeting annual issuance of more than NT$3.8 trillion by 2030, double the 2025 level, through project and climate transition bonds, dual listing of international bonds, Real World Asset (RWA) bond tokenization, and tax optimization.

In the first keynote, Alex C. Huang, Deputy Director-General of the FSC's Securities and Futures Bureau, outlined measures across issuance, trading, and investment, including product diversification, streamlined procedures, greater liquidity and transparency, and broader investor participation.

Huang then moderated the first panel, "Key Strategies for Expanding Taiwan's Bond Market." Chiung-Hui Lee, Director-General of the Kaohsiung City Finance Bureau, discussed bond financing for local governments; Professor Joseph C.P. Shieh of NTUST explored financial product innovation; and Vincent Liu of BNP Paribas Taipei Branch and Tien-Shiang Sung of Lee and Li Attorneys-at-Law shared banking and legal perspectives.

In the second keynote, Bryan Pascoe, Chief Executive of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA), noted that sustainable finance is moving beyond use-of-proceeds structures toward integration with issuers' overall transition strategies. He commended TPEx's sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) and encouraged Taiwan to adopt internationally aligned transition instruments.

The second panel, "Sustainable Bonds and Transition Finance," was moderated by TPEx CEO Rebecca Chen. Hsiao-Lan Hu, Commissioner of the Taipei City Department of Finance, highlighted sustainable bonds' role in urban net-zero transitions; Allen Wang of Taiwan High Speed Rail shared its sustainability and social bond experience; Antoine Rose of Crédit Agricole CIB discussed connecting issuers with global investors; and Joe Chen of Deloitte Taiwan stressed robust data controls and third-party assurance.

TPEx will continue to enhance market infrastructure and work with stakeholders to position Taiwan as a new core of Asian bond market.