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Discussing diverse sustainability and green finance topics including the momentum behind sustainability-linked bonds, the latest IPCC report as well as recent sustainable finance deals and transactions.

In this ebook, corporate borrowers will gain insight into the increasingly popular sustainability-linked loan instrument and how it can support corporate ESG improvements.

Covering summer developments in the global sustainable finance market, including the launch of the EU’s renewed sustainable finance strategy, the publication of the Social Loan Principles and the EU Green Bond Standard, and the continuing growth in the sustainable bond and loan markets.

For Australia, a country whose economy is historically rooted in heavy-emitting, hard-to-abate sectors, sustainability-linked debt financing could provide the spark needed to accelerate emission reductions and transition to a low-carbon economy.

Highlighting what’s new in the world of sustainable finance including the push for more company reporting climate-related risks, the emergence of more oil & gas companies exploring sustainable finance options and our tips on how companies can assess the ambitiousness of the targets used in sustainability-linked debt.

Check out our infographic showcasing sustainable finance by the numbers and see just how much the global green, social, sustainable and sustainability-linked debt market has thrived year-over-year.

The tide continues to rise for the sustainable debt market, with sustainability-linked debt contributing to its steady growth. In this article we take a closer look at what’s driving market adoption of sustainability-linked debt and the principles and frameworks guiding market participants.

To help bring companies, issuers and banks up to speed on what’s happening in the rapidly evolving sustainable debt market, we’ve created an infographic highlighting key concepts and recent market developments.

The “Financing Sustainability: Recent Trends in Sustainable Bonds, Linked Instrument and Disclosure” ebook shares insights on recent progress made by organizations bridging the gap between sustainability and finance.

In this episode, we discuss ongoing diversification in the labeled bond market and highlight developments around transition finance guidance as well as new and updated principles in the loan market.

In this episode, we discuss ongoing diversification in the labeled bond market and highlight developments around transition finance guidance as well as new and updated principles in the loan market.

As Earth Day is around the corner on the 22nd of April, the Biden Administration is to convene a global climate summit. Following a historical precedent for several such events, since its inception in 1970, including signing the landmark Paris Agreement . We have seen positive developments since the Paris Agreement; societal actions to address some of the root causes of climate change have yet to suppress the negative trends . Historically, active ownership on climate change has focused on direct emissions from highly exposed sectors, such as fossil fuel and utility companies. However, the more complicated, less direct aspects of climate change have seen limited progress. Tackling such issues will see a strong need for collaboration from both countries and other key sectors, in particular, banking and finance. Banks are key to support this transformation; facilitating economic activity for positive change throughout the entire value chain is key.

The sustainable finance market has seen an exponential increase in size and activity in recent years. Innovative offerings such as green, social, and sustainable bonds, green and sustainability-linked loans (SLLs), and most recently sustainability-linked bonds, have contributed to the market’s incredible growth. In 2020, boosted by varied financial needs and mainstream recognition of environmental, social and governance (ESG) parameters, global sustainable debt capital surpassed US$700 billion, a 30% increase compared to 2019. Part of this capital was channelled towards tackling the effects of COVID-19 as government agencies, supranational bodies and corporates borrowed money to support areas most affected by the pandemic, such as healthcare. This shift in fund usage in 2020 resulted in the rapid growth of social bonds and a commendable first year for sustainability-linked bonds.

What are Sustainability-Linked Bonds? Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLB) are a forward-looking performance-based instrument. The bonds financial or structural characteristics (such as the coupon rate) are adjusted depending on the achievement of pre-defined sustainability targets. The adjustment can be in both directions, e.g., an increase in coupon rate if targets are not met or a decrease in coupon rate if targets are met. The key difference with green/social/sustainability bonds is that the proceeds can be used for general corporate purposes.

A Sustainability Linked Loan is focused on incentivizing sustainability improvements among corporate borrowers by linking the terms of the loan to their overall sustainability performance targets. SLLs can be used for general corporate purposes as the terms are tied solely to the borrower’s ESG-related performance.

This four-part guide focuses on key areas of sustainable finance, offering companies, corporate investment banks and investors a better understanding of market trends and important developments.

An increasing number of financial institutions integrate sustainability considerations such as environment, social and governance factors into their investment decisions and product development. Increased customer awareness, regulations, and growing evidence of the long-term benefits of considering sustainability in investment decisions has led to a significant growth in the sustainable finance field.

This four-part guide focuses on key areas of sustainable finance, offering companies, corporate investment banks and investors a better understanding of market trends and important developments.

An SPO provides potential investors with assurance that the use of proceeds for the bond or loan, as set out in the framework, are aligned to market practices.

As the largest second-party opinion provider, Sustainalytics works with hundreds of the world’s leading issuers and investment banks to help them bring credible sustainability bonds and loans to market.