Green Bonds Now Playing a Feature Role in Climate Smart Development - Among them, World Bank Group members, such as the International Finance Corp. (IFC), its private equity arm, have been instrumental in developing a global market for green bonds. Following their lead, private sector corporations spanning a range of industry sectors have taken to issuing them, utilities in particular.
The European Commission's Green Bonds study: A study released by the Commission today shows that green bonds have enjoyed extraordinary growth, since they were first issued in 2007. The study on the potential and functioning of green bond markets also identifies key bottlenecks and measures to overcome them so they can fulfil their huge potential. The results come out two days after the Commission's Clean Energy for All Europeans package which finds that an extra EUR 177 billion is needed annually from 2021 onwards to reach the 2030 climate and energy goals.
Is Green Always Good? A Closer Look at Green Bonds: Green bond investors have an opportunity to increase companies' focus on the benefits of environmental risk and opportunity management throughout organisations. As more corporations enter the green bond market, investors should focus on integrating, not separating, environmental analysis.This approach will maximise the environmental benefits while minimising investment risk.
IORPS
Tobin tax would hurt Belgian cross-border IORP appeal, says PensioPlus: PensioPlus, the Belgian pension fund association, has warned the country’s government against implementing a financial transactions tax (FTT), saying it would undermine its efforts to make the country a prime location for cross-border pension funds.
Parliament demands better protection for small investors: MEPs voted today, by 561 votes to 9 with 75 abstentions, to delay the introduction of a key explanatory document supplied by investment providers to consumers, while the EU Commission comes up with better proposals for PRIIPs regulation.
AP2 divests 10 more power stocks on climate grounds: Sweden’s second national pensions buffer fund, AP2, has divested 10 more of the stocks it holds on the grounds of financial climate risk, bringing the total number of holdings sold off for this reason to 76, it said, on releasing a publication outlining its approach to the transition towards a low-carbon economy.
'Published today, the much anticipated study commissioned by the European Commission presents an overview of green bonds, identifying the key players in the market and their focus, highlighting good practices as well as areas for improvement. With a total issuance volume of USD 53 bn, green bonds risk getting close to USD 100 bn before the year’s end. This report looks at how public actors have evolved and highlights the changing face of issuers who are capitalising on this rising trend. Stressing the role definitions can play, at this point, to help increase credibility and diminish the reputational risks so many stakeholders already identified.
Eurosif hopes this study will feed the work of the European Commission in defining a blueprint for sustainable finance and provide the right framework to ensure that green bonds play a leading role in the European project.'
- Flavia Micilotta, Eurosif Executive Director
About Eurosif
Eurosif is the leading European association for the promotion and advancement of sustainable and responsible investment across Europe, for the benefit of its members.
Eurosif's purpose is to:
1. Promote best practice in Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) on behalf of its members
2. Lobby for European regulation and legislation that supports the development of SRI
3. Support its members in developing their sustainable and responsible investment business
4. Promote the development of, and collaboration between SIFs across Europe
5. Provide research and analysis on the development and trends within the SRI market across Europe
6. Raise awareness of and increase demand for SRI throughout the European capital markets www.eurosif.org
Eurosif’s EU Transparency registration number with the European Commission is 70659452143-78.
