Ahren Lester

Articles by Ahren Lester

  • S&P: US REIT green bond issuance plummets in 2023

    21 February 2024

    Green bond issuance by US real estate investment trusts (REITs) plummeted to just 3.6% of the market in 2023, down from around 18% in both 2022 and 2021.

  • 'Big four' sustainable finance SPO providers emerge in 2023

    20 February 2024

    Sustainalytics, S&P Global Ratings, ISS and Moody's have emerged as the 'big four' second-party opinion (SPO) providers in the sustainable finance market in 2023, but the race for market share has tightened as the sector matures and consolidates.

  • 'Big opportunities' for US sustainable bonds in 2024

    20 February 2024

    Although surprised by the scale of the US sustainable bond contraction in 2023, CA-CIB's Romina Reversi tells Ahren Lester that opportunities abound in 2024

  • ICMA encourages 'early adoption' of transition plans as it unveils framework

    19 February 2024

    The International Capital Market Association (ICMA) has encouraged the "early adoption" of transition plans by companies, publishing a report which identifies three types of transition and provides an integrated transition plan framework.

  • Eskhata Bank secures first green bond in Tajikistan

    19 February 2024

    Eskhata Bank has raised the equivalent of $10 million in local currency from its debut green bond, which is the first sustainable bond issued in Tajikistan.

  • Emerging markets to increasingly tap sustainable bond market in 2024, says S&P

    16 February 2024

    Emerging markets could increasingly access the labelled bond market in 2024, S&P Global Ratings predicted, despite moderate growth being forecast for the market as a whole.

  • Goldman Sachs launches €10m green bond ETF

    16 February 2024

    Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) has launched its first dedicated green bond exchange traded-fund (ETF), adding the first passively managed product to its green bond fund range.

  • State Street and JP Morgan leave CA100+

    16 February 2024

    The world's biggest climate engagement initiative suffered a blow after two of its biggest signatories walked away.

  • 'Reasonable' greenium for landmark Japan transition bond

    15 February 2024

    Japan's ground-breaking climate transition bond (CTB) secured a "reasonable" greenium, and it is preparing to return to the market at the end of March with a two-year bond to complement the existing five-year deal.

  • 'Milestone' Japanese transition bond three-times oversubscribed

    14 February 2024

    Japan has raised JPY800 billion ($5.3 billion) from its debut 'climate transition' bond (CTB), with the ground-breaking deal almost three-times oversubscribed.