ESG in Fixed Income Americas 2023

27 September 2023, 9:00 AM BST

Agenda

08:50 ET

Welcoming remarks

09:00 ET

Keynote address

09:15 ET

Panel: The future of ESG regulation and US policy developments

  • An update on the work of the SEC and what it means for issuers and investors
  • Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) one year onhow is the acceleration to green feeding through to ESG in fixed income and sustainable finance more broadly? Can it go further?

Moderator:

Anne van Riel, Head of Sustainable Finance Capital Markets Americas, BNP Paribas

10:00 ET

Panel: Tackling greenwashing and ensuring credibility in GSSS transactions

  • What do issuers need to keep in mind given the enhanced focus and reputational risks associated with greenwashing?
  • What solutions are there for enhanced analysis, transparency and reporting?
  • What challenges and critiques do issuers need to be aware of when choosing between issuing sustainability-linked transactions or use-of-proceeds structures?
  • How do you identify what is material in a sustainability-linked transaction?
  • How has the role of the SPO provider evolved in the context of greenwashing concerns, both from regulatory and market sophistication perspectives?

Moderator:
Ana Carolina Oliveira, Head of Sustainable Finance Americas, Managing Director, ING

Panellist:
Senior representative, ISS Corporate Solutions

 

10:45 ET

Morning networking break

11:15 ET

Panel: Taking the fear out of the T-word

  • Will we see the return of the transition bond this year?
  • Are investors still cautious of the structure?
  • How can SPOs provide challenging feedback and drive change at companies looking to transition?
  • What is needed for hard to abate sectors to take advantage of labelled financing
  • What can other jurisdictions learn from the UK, Canadian and Japanese transition taxonomies and frameworks? 
  • What has been the issuer and investor reaction to these taxonomies?
  • Where are we with transition ratings?
  • Why have some SLB issuers switched back to transition bonds? Is this a sign of problems with the SLB structure?

Moderator:
Anjuli Pandit, Head of Sustainable Bonds, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, HSBC

Panellist:
Senior representative, Moody's 

12:00 ET

Issuer case study

12:20 ET

Panel: Taxonomies and trends in Latin America

  • How is ESG regulation impacting GSSS issuances across the region?
  • How are taxonomies evolving and what does this mean for future issuance trends?
  • Can we expect more sovereign issues across the region?
  • How are development banks and supranationals supporting the development of GSSS bond markets and ESG regulation?
  • What are the opportunities for ESG investors across Latin America? What do they need to know?

Panellist:
Tamara Tisminetzky, Director of ESG Research, Sustainable Fitch

13:05 ET

Lunch

14:00 ET

ESG in Fixed Income Stream

GSSS Bonds Stream

ESG approaches to structured securities

Panel: North American municipal GSSS issuances

  • Collating ESG data across securitisation markets – what interesting metrics can be identified?
  • How is data, transparency and privacy navigated in structure securities?
  • A review of the potential for ESG in MBS and ABS
  • Solar: are IRA provisions to making solar more affordable?
  • When will electric vehicles become a major component of this market?
  • Social, green or sustainability issuances – what is the potential for across North America?
  • What do investors look for in muni issuances?
  • Why aren't there more social muni issuances?
  • What are some of the recent innovations in the municipal sustainable debt market?

 

14:45 ET

ESG in Fixed Income Stream

GSS Bonds Stream

Panel: Investor perspectives

Panel: Social bonds and affordable housing

  • What do investors want to see from ESG in fixed income issuers?
  • What can issuers do to meet those demands?
  • How do feel investors feel about the "greenium" now that it is a fairly well-established issuer benefit
  • How investors understand and identify impact metrics in green bond funds?
  • Investor insights on emerging disclosure regulations and standards
  • How is the topic of social evolving in the real estate space?
  • What would social securitisation look like?
  • What are the global lessons that can be applied to fund the housing crisis?
  • How to structure KPIs and use of proceeds in social issuances
  • Where does PACE and public-private partnerships fit into this?

 

15:30 ET

Afternoon networking break

16:00 ET

Panel: The intersection of fixed income, carbon markets and biodiversity

  • Blue finance, nature-based solutions, biodiversity and carbon credit offtake agreements: how will these be integrated into fixed income structures?
  • The growing interest in carbon markets and what this means for future issuance of fixed income structures
  • How is a desire for impact driving these trends?

Moderator:
Amy West, Global Head of ESG Solutions, TD Securities

Panellists:
Stephen Liberatore, Head of ESG/Impact, Global Fixed Income, Nuveen

16:45 ET

Panel: Future trends and innovative structures

  • What do the innovative issuances of the last 12 months tell us about potential GSSS bond types and sectors that could grow in popularity?
  • Across which sectors and bond types are we seeing innovation and what has been the investor reaction?
  • Which regions might be posed to show future potential for innovation and how do these innovations meet local needs?
  • How is this being driven by regulatory developments?

Moderator:
Robert White, Managing Director, Head of Green & Sustainable Hub, Americas, Natixis

 

17:30 ET

Close of conference and networking drinks reception