The Asian Development Bank has raised $265 million from Japanese investors into its second water bond.

Sweden’s SEB and Japan’s Daiwa have been the two most active underwriters of environmental bonds issued by multilateral finance institutions, according to a new league table.

UK renewable energy utility Ecotricity has again beaten its fundraising target for its latest ecobond – although a leading advisor has raised a red flag over its corporate governance.

Bank Sarasin is this week to begin marketing its first sustainable corporate bond fund, amid growing institutional interest in sustainable fixed income and real estate offerings.

UK renewable energy utility Ecotricity has announced the terms for its second bond issue, and is offering slightly lower rates to investors.

Standard & Poor’s has downgraded €287 million ($396 million) of ‘Breeze 3’ renewable energy-backed bonds on the back of continuing poor performance of the underlying portfolio of projects, and has warned that €50 million of ‘Breeze 2’ notes could default, if underperformance conditions.

The head of the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) has unveiled how the project’s soon-to-be launched Climate Bond Standard will operate, and has announced that the CBI will act as an introduction agency between prospective bond issuers and investors.

UK renewable energy utility Ecotricity is preparing its second bond issue, following its oversubscribed Ecobond One, which it issued last December.

A project to inform sovereign bond investors about the ecological risks they face was launched last week.

State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) has launched a green bond “investment strategy” and is developing funds that will use the strategy.

The Climate Bonds Initiative, which is hoping to catalyse the climate or ‘green’ bond market, has added four environmental finance industry veterans to its board.

Generation Investment Management, the sustainability-focused investment firm, is building a “credit markets investment platform”, with the hire of a corporate debt specialist the latest addition to a growing team.

UK-based investment adviser Emerald Knight is marketing an asset-backed bond that will invest in bamboo plantations in Central America.

Renewable energy developer Wind Prospect raised just £2.3 million ($3.75 million) of its targeted £10 million bond issue – but says the process has opened the door to new investors.

The performance of government bonds issued by countries living within their ecological means has been better than those pursuing unsustainable policies, according to research by Bank Sarasin.

A group of investors and advisors have come together to promote the use of bond markets to finance low-carbon projects.

Swedish bank SEB, one of the pioneers of the environmental bonds market, has bulked up and formalised its sustainable products department in what its head describes as a vote of confidence in the sector.

Investment banks are preparing at least three sizeable corporate green bond issues, as interest in the asset class builds, while the last few weeks have seen a flurry of bonds sold by multilateral development banks.

Wind Prospect Group, a global wind developer, has launched a corporate retail bond onto the UK market with the aim of raising £10 million ($16 million).

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has issued its third green bond, raising $135 million.