ESG in Fixed Income Americas 2023

Welcoming remarks

Keynote address

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 on – how 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

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

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 

Issuer case study

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

Afternoon networking break

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

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

Close of conference and networking drinks reception