Ahren Lester

EU publishes first sets of Taxonomy screening criteria

The European Commission has published the first two sets of technical screening criteria for the EU Taxonomy for sustainable activities, described as an "important step" for the closely-watched green policy instrument.

News round-up: EU offshore wind push, muni green project fund, sovereign ESG data set ... and more

European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans encouraged EU member states to use funds from the €750 billion Next Generation EU fund to make targeted investments in the space to "unlock the necessary private financial flows" to power the expansion.

ESG Ratings in fixed income: A good start

ESG ratings should only be used as a first step when it comes to assessing issuers, a panel at Environmental Finance's ESG and Fixed Income 2020 conference heard. Ahren Lester reports

Green and sustainability-linked loan round-up: Exilion, CapitaLand ... and more

Bond round-up: EU, Unedic, KfW, TenneT, BNG, Schneider Electric ... and more

Deutsche Börse buys majority stake in ISS

German financial exchange operator Deutsche Börse has acquired a majority stake in Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), valuing the corporate governance and environmental, social and governance (ESG) data provider at over $2.2 billion.

Sustainable bond 'greenium' expands 'significantly' in 2020

Investors have been willing to pay a significant 'greenium' for green, social and sustainability (GSS) bonds in 2020, in contrast to 2019, according to a report from BNP Paribas.

UK government still weighing carbon tax instead of ETS after Brexit

The UK government is continuing to consider a controversial carbon tax after leaving the EU, instead of setting up a domestic cap-and-trade carbon emissions market, denying this would damage its international standing on climate change action.

$250bn green bond issuance expected in 2020, says Moody's

News round-up: Nordic investors set up energy transition fund, WTW buys Acclimatise ... and more