Ahren Lester

Dedicated transition funds 'needed to drive change'

Dedicated "transition" strategies can help "preserve clarity" in the sustainable investment sector and drive real change in the economy, said Altius Asset Management (Altius AM),...

SMF raises IDR700bn from 'milestone' Indonesian social bond, sukuk

State-owned housing finance firm Sarana Multigriya Finansial (SMF) has raised IDR700 billion ($45 million) from a dual-tranche social bond and social sukuk as it launches an IDR9.5 trillion issuance programme.

NZBA to publish accountability mechanism in 'coming weeks'

The Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) will in "coming weeks" publish details of its procedure for engaging with members not meeting their commitments, ahead of a deadline for the founding members of UN-convened alliance to report their targets.

ESG fund flows outperform broader market in 'resilient' 2023

The flows into environmental, social and governance (ESG)-focused funds "outstripped" the broader market in 2023 despite overall inflow totals remaining lower than recent records, according to Barclays research.

Corporate sustainable bond issuance 'slump' to reverse in 2024, says Barclays

Corporate sustainable bond issuance in 2024 is forecast to reverse following a two-year "slump" as US dollar supply returns to growth following a sharp decline in 2023, according to Barclays.

Paul Tang: EU must emphasise transition finance

The EU has been too focused on 'green' in its sustainable finance, the Dutch MEP tells Ahren Lester

Barclays: UK 'Sustainability Improvers' fund label risks being 'catch-all'

The 'Sustainability Improvers' label under the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) voluntary fund labelling rules risks being a "catch-all" investment category, warned Barclays.

NZBA welcomes first Chinese member but suffers second bank exit

The Bank of East Asia (BEA) has become the first Chinese member of the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), but US lender Blue Ridge Bank also became only the second member to "withdraw from" the UN-convened industry group.

Japfa: SLBs need to offer issuers 'more carrot than stick'

A ground-breaking sustainability-linked bond (SLB) issuer has hit back against investor demands for larger penalties for missing targets associated with the performance-based instrument, arguing that the market needs to offer "more carrot than stick" for issuers.

North Macedonia, Carbonaires launch public-private carbon market partnership