Ahren Lester

Articles by Ahren Lester

  • ICMA publishes innovative 'green enabler' sustainable bond guidance

    25 June 2024

    The International Capital Market Association (ICMA) has published "ground-breaking" guidance for financing 'green enabling' projects in sustainable bonds amid issuer caution in using these critical transition projects in green finance instruments.

  • Enel 'rewarded' by investors after landmark SLB target miss, says AFII

    21 June 2024

    The return of Enel to the sustainability-linked bond market following its historic target miss is a "strong vote of confidence" in the instrument...

  • BancoSol issues first Bolivian 'gender' bond

    21 June 2024

    Bolivian lender BancoSol has raised BOB205.8 million ($29 million) from its first women-focused social bond, which is believed to be the first 'gender' bond issued in the South American country.

  • SLBs: 2024 issuance slumps as issuer wariness grows

    21 June 2024

    Sustainability-linked bond (SLB) issuance in 2024 is running at around half the volume reported in 2023, with issuers - both old and new - largely eschewing market.

  • Loan round-up: FS Italiane, Epic, Philijalinna ... and more

    20 June 2024
  • EU GBS 'not overly costly' for leading utility green bond issuers, says IEEFA

    20 June 2024

    Major European utility sector issuers of green bonds should not find it "overly costly" to switch to issuing EU Green Bond Standard (EU GBS)-compliant bonds to use the landmark legislation to demonstrate their "better management of transition risk", according to a think tank.

  • Indosuez launches €70m fixed-maturity green bond fund

    19 June 2024

    Indosuez Wealth Management has launched a €70 million ($75 million) actively managed green bond fund with a fixed maturity of 2028.

  • EU Green Bond Standard is 'quite tricky' - especially for sovereigns, says CA-CIB

    18 June 2024

    Issuing green bonds using the EU Green Bond Standard (GBS) is "quite tricky" and is unlikely to see a lot of issuance except among a "handful" of issuers in the near term, according to Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank (CA-CIB).

  • Heidelberg Materials raises €700m from ground-breaking green bond

    18 June 2024
  • US IRA set to stimulate $250bn of investment this year, says Barclays

    17 June 2024

    More than $70 billion has been invested in clean energy projects backed by the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the first three months of 2024, as manufacturing investments ramp up, according to Barclays.