Continuity Of Sustainability, Digitalisation Agenda Ensures ASEAN's Growth Resilience - ACCA
By Siti Noor Afera Abu
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- As Malaysia concludes its ASEAN chairmanship with the 2025 summit, the momentum around sustainability and digitalisation must now translate into long-term action through capacity-building, ethical governance, and shared standards, to ensure the region's growth remains resilient and inclusive.
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants' (ACCA) executive director of relationships, Lucia Real-Martin, said Malaysia's leadership has placed sustainability and digitalisation firmly at the heart of the region's economic agenda. "The next step is to ensure continuity, embedding these priorities into long-term capacity building, shared standards and ethical governance," she told Bernama.
Real-Martin said ACCA is helping to sustain this legacy through its partnership with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), including the ASEAN Sustainability Reporting Advocacy Collaborative (ASRAC), which was launched during Malaysia’s chairmanship. The initiative seeks to harmonise sustainability reporting across ASEAN using the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), while adapting to local contexts - an effort that will strengthen governance, talent, and disclosure consistency.
She was recently in Malaysia, where she spoke at a focused session on charting ASEAN's sustainable future under the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS 2025), and held several meetings with public and private sector partners.
Finance Professionals as Catalysts for the Green Transition
Real-Martin said finance and accounting professionals play a critical role in ASEAN's green transition and sustainable investment agenda. She reckons they translate sustainability ambition into credible, measurable outcomes, identify environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks, guide sustainable investment decisions, and assure the integrity of disclosures.
"ACCA’s research demonstrates that professional accountants play a crucial role in connecting purpose and performance,” she said, adding that ACCA continues to collaborate with regulators, universities, and employers to build the capabilities needed for trustworthy sustainability reporting and assurance that attracts green investments.
Real-Martin also acknowledged three key gaps in ASEAN’s sustainability reporting landscape, including fragmented frameworks, inconsistent regulation, and a shortage of skilled talent, all of which hinder regional alignment.
Citing ACCA’s report ‘Sustainability Reporting in ASEAN: An Overview of Current Developments,’ she said, "harmonisation around ISSB standards is critical for building investor confidence and comparability.”
She noted that ACCA is investing human capital through professional education and continuous professional development that embeds sustainability, ethics, and assurance into core finance curricula, ensuring the region’s sustainability agenda remains both credible and investable.
Building Digital Trust and Responsible AI
Real-Martin highlighted the need for strong ethical frameworks in ASEAN's digital transformation, with digital trust as the foundation of its digital economy. Citing ACCA’s AI Monitor report, she said that finance professionals are well placed to act as digital guardians, applying professional scepticism, ethics, and accountability on how AI and data are used.
"Through collaborations with agencies such as Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and national digital ministries, ACCA is promoting responsible AI adoption and enhancing assurance in cybersecurity and algorithmic transparency," she said.
Real-Martin said ACCA supports inclusive talent development by widening access to professional education, especially for women, rural, and underrepresented communities.
She noted that in Malaysia, partnerships with Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) aim to expand pathways for Bumiputera students and strengthen the national accounting pipeline, ensuring that as ASEAN’s economies evolve, everyone can participate in and benefit from the transition.
Aligned with Malaysia’s goal of producing 60,000 professional accountants by 2030, ACCA is working closely with the Ministry of Finance, the MIA, and local universities to widen access and accelerate qualification pathways.
“Through initiatives such as ACCA Accelerate, digital learning platforms, and targeted scholarships, we’re equipping professionals with sustainability, data, and digital-assurance skills. Our focus is not only on numbers but on developing future-ready professionals who can lead Malaysia’s sustainable and digital transformation," she said.
Looking ahead, Real-Martin said partnership is the key to success in ASEAN’s next chapter.
“Governments, regulators, educators, and the private sector must collaborate on consistent metrics, capacity-building, and talent development. Through our global insights and regional partnerships, we help transform shared ambition into measurable economic outcomes that make sustainability and digital growth defining strengths of ASEAN’s next chapter," she added.
-- BERNAMA
