Ahren Lester

Aareal Bank plans benchmark green bond after tightening green building criteria

Aareal Bank is planning to issue its third benchmark-sized green bond in 2024, after the German property lender updated its green finance framework with new and tightened green building criteria.

Emerging market ESG disclosure impact on sustainable bond issuance research launched

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Environmental Finance have published the first in a trio of free-to-read research papers on the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure levels on sustainable bond issuance in emerging markets.

GreenArc, Franklin Templeton to develop green bond portfolio impact tool

Sustainable sukuk 'to nearly double market share in five years'

Fitch Ratings said that sustainable sukuk could grow to be 7.5% of the overall sukuk market by 2028, up from 4% at the end of the third quarter.

Bpifrance: Green, social bonds will be half of funding from 2024

French public sector investment bank Bpifrance has issued its first ever social bond, and said that from 2024 it expects half of its annual funding to be secured through green and social bond issuance.

External reviews are the 'main sticking point' for sustainable loan deals

Updated guidance on external reviews is being readied, the Loan Market Association's Gemma Lawrence-Pardew tells Ahren Lester

DBS launches SME-focused 'hybrid' green loan product

Sustainable bond market will become 'too large to ignore' for US issuers

Despite a surprisingly lacklustre US sustainable bond issuance response to the massive climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) stimulus package, a green bond investor argues that "problem" of cautious US issuers will soon "take care of itself" as the market grows.

'First' green bond fund in major revamp as market matures

Nikko Asset Management has significantly revamped its ground-breaking green bond fund, as it reflects on the increasing opportunity in the sustainable bond market, Steve Williams tells Ahren Lester

Development Bank of Rwanda raises RWF30bn in landmark sustainability-linked bond

The Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) has raised RWF30 billion ($24 million) from its debut sustainability-linked bond, which is the first instrument of this type issued by a development bank and the first sustainable bond from a Rwandan issuer.