Kuala Lumpur, 25 July 2025: ERIA, in collaboration with Mitsubishi Research Institute Inc. (MRI), convened a workshop on the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) during the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum (ACMF) Deputies II Meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

The workshop centred on progress made in developing the Carbon Market Ecosystem Roadmap and accompanying VCM Guidelines – an initiative jointly led by ERIA and the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC Malaysia) in its role as lead coordinator of ACMF under Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship.

As part of the ongoing consultation process, ERIA and MRI presented updates on the roadmap and guidelines, which were initially introduced during the first ACMF Deputies Meeting and subsequently refined following feedback gathered during a closed-door regulatory dialogue at the ASEAN Investment Conference held on 8 April 2025.

The presentation covered regional analysis of carbon credit supply and demand, VCM ecosystem readiness, and stakeholder mapping. ERIA and MRI also proposed guiding principles to address persistent challenges and structural gaps within ASEAN’s evolving VCM landscape.

The session also featured an interactive discussion with ACMF deputies, who shared their perspectives on advancing practical, regionally coherent approaches to developing high-integrity and interoperable carbon markets in ASEAN.

ACMF deputies welcomed the initiative and provided constructive feedback, emphasising the importance of aligning the VCM framework with national strategies while maintaining global credibility and market appeal.

The final report from the project is scheduled for release in October 2025.