Environmental Finance's Sustainable Debt Awards 2026

Award for innovation - sustainability bond structure (Americas): Banobras

In November 2025, Mexican development bank Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios Públicos (Banobras) issued two sustainable bonds with a gender perspective, focusing on federal, state, and municipal projects aiming to improve the quality of life for Mexicans.

The Banobras Sustainable Bond Framework is aligned with Mexico's Sustainable Taxonomy (MST) and the 'Bonds to Bridge the Gender Gap: A Practitioner's Guide to Using Sustainable Debt for Gender Equality' from the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

As part of the bond issuance process, Banobras launched its new digital platform, Banobras Hoy, to increase transparency and provide tools for monitoring and tracking the use and allocation of the sustainable bond proceeds.

A key feature of the platform is its innovative, interactive maps, enabling users to refine results to view projects with a gender perspective, those supporting sustainable bond issuances and the cumulative balance of sustainable financing since December 2018.

The Environmental Finance Sustainable Debt Awards judges agreed that "enhancing transparency and visibility for sustainable development outcomes is key to maintaining growth and mainstream interest in sustainable finance" and were "impressed by the development of the sustainable finance and impact delivery map for investors".