Ahren Lester

Sovereign sustainable bond report shines light on allocation trends

A free-to-read report on sovereign sustainable bonds from Environmental Finance Data (EF Data) offers insights into emerging trends in this critical market, including identifying prominent allocation preferences and shortfalls.

'Sovereign NDC-linked bonds are more effective than green bonds'

Issuers and investors would both benefit from a switch from green to NDC-tied sustainability-linked bonds, Ulf Erlandsson tells Ahren Lester

Vivid secures £100m from NatWest affordable housing 'social loan' fund

UK adds nuclear energy to sovereign green bond framework

Major green bond issuer, the UK government, has updated its framework for the first time since it launched the programme in 2021, with the sovereign adding nuclear energy to the list of eligible projects.

ABN Amro: Early signs that EuGBs outperform regular green bonds

'European Green Bond' (EuGB) deals have outperformed their 'regular' green bond equivalents with stronger orderbooks and pricing, according to ABN Amro - but long-term performance perks for the nascent label remains uncertain.

Steel firm JFE pioneers 'transition' bond, loan guidance-aligned framework

Japanese steel firm JFE has updated its sustainable finance framework to align with the transition bond and loan guidance published by international trade associations since October.

Cebu Landmasters launches PHP5bn sustainability-linked bond

Property development firm Cebu Landmasters is planning to raise up to PHP5 billion ($85 million) from a sustainability-linked bond (SLB) focused on building out affordable housing in the Philippines.

'Strong' demand for €1bn AIB 'Tier 2' green bond

Allied Irish Bank (AIB) has raised €1 billion ($1.2 billion) from its ninth green bond, with the 'Tier 2' deal almost four-times oversubscribed.

S&P: 'Little evidence' of 'greenium' in green bond market

There is "no significant greenium" at a global level for the green bond market, according to S&P Global - but green bond issuers may still be benefitting from lower funding costs more broadly.

Kenya's Safaricom launches debut green bond

Telecommunications firm Safaricom has launched its debut green bond worth up to KES20 billion ($154 million), making it only the second sustainable bond issuer in Kenya.