Archive

  • No one-size-fits-all approach for financing climate transition, says Morgan Stanley

    06 November 2020

    Ahead of Environmental Finance's ESG in Fixed Income Europe 2020 virtual conference next week, speakers reflect on the balance between purity and pragmatism when financing climate transition strategies

  • WWF: How to improve the EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan

    04 November 2020

    Ahead of Environmental Finance's ESG in Fixed Income Europe 2020 virtual conference next week, Jochen Krimphoff, deputy director of environmental finance at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), reflects on what the EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan means for the sustainable fixed income market

  • Green bond comment, November: Time is ripe for sovereigns to finally step up

    04 November 2020

    Sovereign green bonds experienced a bumper September, with several new issuers, but Ahren Lester argues other hesitant sovereigns should step-up ahead of COP26 next year to light up this potentially significant market

  • Guernsey to introduce green capital charges for life re/insurers

    02 November 2020

    The proposal has received mixed responses from stakeholders fearful of a greenwashing exercise and the possible limited impact of the initiative. Vincent Huck speaks to the local regulator and industry stakeholders

  • KfW on track for €8bn in 2020 green bond issuance

    26 October 2020

    After a significant jump in green bond issuance in 2019, the KfW capital markets head tells Ahren Lester they still expect 2020 issuance to hit €8 billion and that 'greeniums' have persisted - but don't expect any social or sustainability-linked bonds from the development bank.

  • Green bonds begin to flow from emerging market banks

    08 October 2020

    A pioneering initiative by the IFC to encourage green bond issuance by banks in emerging markets is bearing fruit, reports Graham Cooper

  • Green bond comment, October 2020: Automotive green bonds drive up corporate issuance

    07 October 2020

    Issuance from car makers has shifted to a higher gear in recent months, and it is a sign that corporates more broadly are tapping the market, says Ahren Lester

  • Green, social and sustainability bond market nearly doubles in third quarter

    05 October 2020

    In a year thrown into disarray by the coronavirus pandemic, Ahren Lester reports on how issuance of green, social and sustainability bonds has continued to power ahead, helped by a broadening range of issuers and more large issues.

  • Defining transition finance: how to be inclusive yet specific

    28 September 2020

    Transition finance has garnered a lot of attention, but the challenge of delineating what exactly it is remains unresolved. Three recent reports try to balance the need for the definition to be both broad enough to be inclusive, yet specific enough to protect the instruments from claims of greenwashing. Ahren Lester reports.

  • Basic definition essential for transition bond issuance, says ISS ESG

    25 September 2020

    The market does not have to 'reinvent the wheel' on the structure of transition bonds to support future issuers, ISS ESG tells Ahren Lester, but a clear definition of what activities demonstrate 'transition' is essential for this potentially large market to grow