ARTHALAND Executives Participate in Key Regional Sustainability Discussions Hosted by UN ESCAP

ARTHALAND, the country’s foremost green developer, took center stage in discussions on financing strategies for sustainable development during the High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries (MICs Conference) organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) from 28 to 29 April 2025 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. Representing ARTHALAND in Panel 1, titled Funding the Future: Financing Development in Middle-Income Countries (MICs), Senior Vice President Sheryll Verano shared micro-level insights in mobilizing private finance drawn from the company’s extensive experience in raising funds for green real estate projects.

As a company with a 100% certified sustainable project portfolio, Ms. Verano emphasized that financing is crucial to achieving ARTHALAND’s target of 5-fold growth over a 5-year period. Its financing strategy involves tapping the public capital markets for the issuance of equity and debt instruments including 4 tranches of preferred shares and 2 tranches ASEAN Green Bonds, bilateral loan agreements with Philippine banks, foreign direct investment from its strategic partners, and end-buyer financing through the BALAI-Berde Financing Program that enable buyers to access affordable financing for green housing.

ARTHALAND shared its experience crafting its Green Financing Framework in 2019. With no local taxonomy then available, the company aligned with international standards, including those from the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA), Loan Market Association (LMA), and ASEAN Green Bond Standards. This rigorous alignment helped ARTHALAND avoid greenwashing and win investor confidence.

Participation in stakeholder consultations with the private sector in the development of Version 3 of the ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance, released in December 2024 by the ASEAN Taxonomy Board, was another notable highlight. ARTHALAND provided its inputs to the construction and real estate segment to help in balancing the need to create standard definitions of green activities in the ASEAN region and the need to customize this to the specific conditions on the ground for each economy.

When asked for a single policy recommendation for MIC policymakers to strengthen private finance, Ms. Verano said, “Among the many opportunities, the one which I believe has the most potential, albeit long-term in benefit, and the one closest to my own heart because I have children of my own, is the strengthening of financial literacy among our youth. I would say that strong financial literacy is not a technical skill but a critical life skill.”

Through innovation in sustainable finance, policy advocacy, and education, ARTHALAND continues to lead the green building charge. To learn more about ARTHALAND, visit www.arthaland.com.