Ahren Lester

Bahamas signs 'ground-breaking' $300m debt-for-nature loan deal

The Bahamas has signed a $300 million loan with Standard Chartered as part of a ground-breaking marine conservation-focused debt conversion transaction developed with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Debt-for-nature deals are 'growing very rapidly and are very scalable'

The nature financing gap remains concerningly wide, but the increasingly active debt-for-nature market offers hope that the tide is turning. Ahren Lester reports

Artesian: Two-way coupons could 'reignite' SLB market

Opening the door to SLB issuers being rewarded for outperforming ambitious targets could boost issuance, Artesian's David Gallagher tells Ahren Lester.

'Very encouraging' European 'light green' fund investment in Middle East

There is a "very encouraging" level of investment from 'light green' European funds in Middle Eastern real estate firms which suggests emerging positive sustainability disclosure trends in the region, according to Emirates NBD.

COP29: €3bn public-private fundraise planned for emerging market green bond fund

The EU-led Global Green Bond Initiative (GGBI) is preparing to raise €3 billion ($3.2 billion) for a fund which will serve as an "anchor investor" in emerging market (EM) green bonds, the European Investment Bank (EIB) told a side event at the UN COP29 climate summit.

Final 'Sustainable Development Impact Disclosure' guidance published

CDP, GRI 'strengthen' environmental disclosure 'streamlining' collaboration

GSIA publishes sustainable investment 'incentive barriers' report

Commercial Bank of Ceylon plans LKR5bn green bond debut

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon (ComBank) is planning to raise up to LKR5 billion ($17 million) from its inaugural green bond, believed to be only the second sustainable bond issuance in the country.

Acciona: Scope 3 metrics should be 'action-oriented'

Spanish infrastructure conglomerate Acciona argues that Scope 3 emission metrics should be "revisited" to focus on securing actions rather than just satisfying reporting to make them more usable and impactful.