Ahren Lester

Barclays: 'Surprising' rise in principal repayment penalty SLBs

There has been a "surprising" increase in the use of penalties applied to the principal repayment at maturity for sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs), according to Barclays - a move that it said could make the struggling instrument "less appealing" to investors.

M&G launch €50m sustainable bond fund

Sustainable sukuk a 'potential accelerator' for Islamic finance industry

Record sustainable sukuk issuance points to the catalytic potential of the market for interest in Islamic finance, S&P Global Ratings Mohamed Damak tells Ahren Lester

Investors 'sick' of SFDR eating into sustainability innovation resource

Investors are "sick" of the onerous EU reporting and disclosure regulation stifling their ability to invest in innovation around sustainable finance, attendees at last week's Environmental Finance Sustainability Data EMEA conference heard.

QNB issues 'first' blue bond in Turkiye

QNB Türkiye has raised $125 million from a sustainable bond that includes a ground-breaking 'blue bond' tranche, becoming the first Turkish issuer to come to market with a sustainable water-focused deal.

HKMC issues largest social bond in Asia Pacific

Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation (HKMC) has raised around $3 billion from its third social bond transaction, becoming the largest social bond deal in Asia Pacific to date.

Current scenario analysis 'not decision useful' for pension funds - for now

High-level climate scenario analysis is not currently used by pension funds to inform investment decisions, an Environmental Finance event heard - but there are ways more focused and short-term scenarios that can be useful now and in the future.

Scope 3 emissions are 'Loch Ness monster of sustainability reporting'

The low levels of Scope 3 emissions reporting despite its importance to investors for climate risk assessment has made it the "Loch Ness monster" of sustainability reporting, an Environmental Finance event has heard.

EthiFinance: EU ESG rating provider regulations 'not fair'

The expected final EU regulation for environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings providers is "not fair" - especially for mid-cap providers, sustainable finance rating and advisory firm EthiFinance told an Environmental Finance event.

ESG Data: 'Dream of common language will not be met without common translation'

The dream of a "common language" on environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting can only be achieved in practice if we accept the need for a "traveller's translation guide" for global investors as well, an Environmental Finance event has heard.