Environmental Finance's Bond Awards 2022

Data centre developer Aligned Energy tapped the bond market with its inaugural $1.35 billion green securitisation.

For the third year in a row, Caisse Française de Financement Local (CAFFIL) won the title of best asset-backed/asset-based/covered social bond, for its €750 million ($822.8 million) healthcare issue to finance public hospitals.

Malaysian firm Hong Leong Bank Berhad (HLBB) completed a ground-breaking social sustainable securitisation worth a total of RM300 million ($71 million) for national mortgage broker Cagamas Berhad in August 2021.

Symbiotics won the Award for innovation - bond structure for a second consecutive year, after an INR345 million ($4.6million) three-year green bond to support climate-smart agriculture was issued under...

Bond Awards judges picked out Sunwealth's solar fund for its "interesting focus on solar" in the Award for innovation - bond structure (social bond).

The game-changing Belize blue bond scooped two awards, in the categories of sustainability bond structure and sovereign sustainability bond.

The Impact Investment Exchange's Women's Livelihood Bond Series was the world's first gender-lens impact investing security listed on a stock exchange and has since gone on to raise $78 million in blended capital.

The Mexican government pushed the boundaries of sustainability bonds with its second issue aligned to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The London Stock Exchange beat off stiff competition to claim best exchange of 2021.

Second-party opinion (SPO) provider Cicero Shades of Green was again voted external assessment provider of the year for its ratings methodology.

The RobecoSAM Global Green Bonds fund secured the green bond fund of the year award after impressing market participants with its transparent and in-depth screening and investment process.

With a $3 billion issuance, the launch of KfW's five-year green bond became the largest US dollar-denominated green bond across all sectors.

Railroad company Norfolk Southern entered the green bond market with a $500 million offering as part of its decarbonisation efforts.

NatWest was praised for providing an "important standard" on additionality for its sustainable bond issuances in 2021.

Finnish credit institution Municipality Finance (MuniFin) won municipality green bond of the year for the second year running after pricing its inaugural green bond in the sterling market,...

The Republic of Colombia secured the sovereign green bond of the year award after raising COP750 billion ($200 million) from its upsized maiden green note in September 2021

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), known as the World Bank, issued two green bonds, of A$274 million ($202.7 million) and NZ$241 million ($166.1 million) for climate finance in developing countries.

With its inaugural 'green and environmental impact bond', the Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA) raised $49.2 million through its first public market financing since 2003.

Canadian Solar's JPY8.1 billion ($75 million) green project bond combines a dual tenor structure with a multi-asset cross collateralisation scheme to finance three solar projects in Japan.

The Red River Valley Alliance (RRVA) impressed the judges through its procurement of a loan to help finance a flood prevention channel.

HSBC secured six Environmental Finance Bond Awards categories in 2022, revealing the high regard in the market for its structuring and engagement work across green, social and sustainability bonds during 2021.

Nuveen's inaugural global fixed income impact report was acclaimed by Environmental Finance Bond Awards judges.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) claimed two awards this year, for Impact report of the year (for issuers) and Initiative of the year in the category of sustainability bonds.

An already winning product improved in 2021, with the addition to the Bloomberg MSCI Green Bond Index of criteria covering development of rail infrastructure.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) launched its "first-of-a-kind" Green Bond Transparency Platform in April 2021, with the aim of simplifying issuers' reporting on green bonds...

Last year France's Amundi hit three ESG objectives it had set in 2018, winning Investor of the year (asset manager) for its efforts.

Zurich claimed top spot among asset owners, as investor of the year.

Latham & Watkins tripled the value of sustainable finance transactions it advised on in 2021.

US bank JP Morgan claimed three separate lead manager of the year awards for a period packed with ground-breaking issues across green, social and sustainability bonds.

Canadian investment bank TD Securities lead managed the EU's landmark inaugural green bond of €12 billion ($13 billion).

Bank of America won lead manager of the year, green bonds - US muni bond for the second year running following several innovative issues.

Nomura was one of the largest lead managers of corporate social bond issuances in 2021.

BNP Paribas built on its success with further wins for its work as a loan arranger and social bond lead manager - whilst also picking up the sustainability-linked bond (SLB) lead manager award.

NatWest Markets collected the local authority/municipality social bond lead manager of the year award as the investment bank focuses attention on the importance of social finance secured by regional...

Crédit Agricole Corporate Investment Bank (CA-CIB) secured the local authority/municipality sustainability bond lead manager of the year award after the French bank played a leading role in a string of debut European issuances from the sector.

AFII chief executive Ulf Erlandsson scooped the Personality of the year award after he initiated a novel kind of "professional activism" in the sustainable fixed income market in 2021.

Issued under its Impact Bonds initiative, the US Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Freddie Mac, raised $230.8 million to provide affordable housing for people in the country with disabilities.

South African niche credit provider SA Taxi raised ZAR900 million ($60 million) with its first social bond to grow small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country's minibus taxi industry.

The City of Toronto has scooped the award for Social bond of the year - local authority/municipality in the Environmental Finance Bond Awards for the second year in a row.

Chile scooped the sovereign social bond of the year award after securing the lowest coupon for a Latin American sovereign ever, as part of a mammoth $5.8 billion multi-currency social bond issuance in July 2021.

Part of its Social Bond Programme, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) issued the market's first social Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) floating rate note (FRN), raising $500 million.

Targeting neighbourhood improvement through property rehabilitation, the City of Detroit last year issued $175 million in Unlimited Tax General Obligation Bonds that it self-designated as social bonds.

US-based financial institution OneMain Financial issued its inaugural $750 million social bond to provide a portfolio of social loans to disadvantaged customers in credit-insecure or credit-at-risk areas of the country.

Belgian healthcare real estate investment trust (REIT) Aedifica's €500 million ($590 million) sustainability bond is both green and social, as it is used to refinance environmentally sustainable healthcare assets.

Indonesia Infrastructure Finance (IIF) issued an $150 million sustainability bond to champion ESG values in infrastructure financing in Indonesia.

The City of Vancouver's inaugural sustainability bond was the first from a Canadian governmental issuer.

The World Bank issued a two- and seven-year, dual-tranche, fixed-rate, sustainability bond, raising over $8 billion.

The Massachusetts Clean Water Trust (MCWT) raised a total of $351.4 million from the issuance of a series of green and sustainability bonds to finance wastewater and drinking water projects for eligible borrowers in the state.

Brazilian public private partnership (PPP) Smart Luz - a concession by Rio Luz, the municipal company that manages the city of Rio de Janeiro's public lighting system - finances a 20-year public lighting and smart city services sub-concession.

German real estate lender Berlin Hyp secured the sustainability-linked bond of the year award for its landmark €500 million ($550 million) issuance in April 2021.

CEMEX has secured the Sustainability-linked loan of the year award for its $3.25 billion deal.