This year's entry marks the third year in a row that ING has picked up the award for Lead manager of the year, sustainability bonds – financial institution.

The firm reports it led on 37 sustainable bond issuances for financial institution (FI) issuers in the EUR market and was an active bookrunner on 28% of all labelled EUR transactions for FI issuers throughout the year, delivering €4.53 billion ($5.22 billion) in apportioned sustainable volume issued.

During the year, ING issued a €300 million sustainability bond on behalf of the Vienna Insurance Group, the proceeds of which were earmarked for eligible green and social assets such as investments in solar PV, onshore/offshore wind, eligible hydropower, electric rail infrastructure and rolling stock, zero-emission vehicles, and grid modernisation.

It also acted as bookrunner and executed two other sustainable fixed-income transactions, one for Kookmin Bank and one for KEB Hana Bank.

Judges at this year's Environmental Finance Sustainable Debt Awards noted the number of deals ING was involved in during 2025, while still playing a proactive role in advancing standards and enhancing transparency across the fixed-income sustainable bond market, which is also evidenced by the high proportion of sole structuring advisor roles the bank achieved for many sustainable transactions, along with the traditional joint bookrunner role.