Stock exchanges and sustainability goals: a commitment to progress

Abstract

The United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) were introduced in 2015 to achieve a more sustainable future for all. Individuals and entities from the public and private sectors are required to contribute to reaching these goals. This paper contributes to the nascent literature on this topic by investigating the contribution of stock exchanges to achieving the SDGs. Contrary to previous studies that focus on one or a few dimensions of the SDGs, we consider all 17 goals. Our analysis based on a large sample of 85 exchanges in the world shows that stock exchanges can contribute to the realisation of all the SDGs. This study shows exchange managers how they can make their commitment more effective and it highlights to governments and regulators the crucial role of stock exchanges in the transition to sustainability.