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'Gender bond' guidance launched
17 November 2021UN Women, International Finance Corporation and International Capital Market Association (ICMA) have published guidance on how issuers can use sustainable bonds to advance gender equality.
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EU Green Bond Standard will struggle to become global 'gold standard', says Fitch
03 September 2021The EU Green Bond Standard (GBS) could struggle to become the global 'gold standard' without clearer alignment of international 'green' taxonomies
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Green Bond Comment, August 2021: A new dawn for the beleaguered transition bond label?
04 August 2021Once seen as the next exciting frontier in sustainable fixed income, the take-up of transition bonds has so far underwhelmed the market. But could the beleaguered label stage a fight back, asks Ahren Lester
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'Green' money market fund growth faces 'significant' challenges
23 July 2021The emergence of an entirely 'green' money market fund (MMF) is currently unfeasible due to "significant implementation challenges" around lack of sufficiently diversified investment supply, according to Fitch Ratings, despite rising demand for such instruments.
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Japanese regulator publishes draft social bond guidelines
22 July 2021The Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA) has published its proposed Social Bond Guidelines (SBG)...
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Green Bond Principles tightens 'key' recommendations to reflect market best practice
10 June 2021Three years after the last update, the widely adopted Green Bond Principles has received a raft of updates to bring it in line with the developing best practice in the global sustainable bond market. Ahren Lester reports
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External verification mandatory in updated Sustainability Linked Loan Principles
01 June 2021External verification is now required under the Sustainability Linked Loan Principles (SLLP) following an update, with the voluntary standards published by three industry associations also tightening guidance on sustainability performance targets.
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Transition bonds may 'not survive' amid lacklustre adoption
10 May 2021The future of 'transition' bonds as a separate label remains uncertain, as market experts questioned the validity of the instrument, despite acknowledging the importance of the sustainable bond market supporting the shift to a low-carbon economy.
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ICMA confirms further transition finance guidance 'underway'
07 May 2021The International Capital Market Association (ICMA) has confirmed that work to provide further guidance on its climate transition finance handbook is "underway," with the first update expected in June.
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Green bond comment, May 2021: Is it the time of consolidation rather than proliferation of bond labels?
05 May 2021There are early indications that the market is looking to consolidate existing sustainable bond labels rather than add further ones to the mix. Ahren Lester asks whether this is a worry for the future of the market