Pension Fund Service December 2017 Green Bonds World Bank Zurich Pension Fund Amundi Actiam Contact:
[email protected] Chris Southworth – Chief Executive Officer No.1 Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford. WA16 8GS Tel: 0044 1565 648205 Contact:
[email protected] Chris Southworth – Chief Executive Officer No.1 Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford. WA16 8GS Tel: 0044 1565 648205 The Green Bond Market: 10 years later and looking ahead 1 Authors: Heike Reichelt, Head of Investor Relations and New Products, World Bank Colleen Keenan, Senior Financial Officer, Investor Relations, World Bank Executive Summary Since the World Bank issued its first green bonds nearly 10 years ago, the green bond market has grown exponentially. Green bonds support the financing of climate-friendly projects worldwide. They are attractive to investors as a straightforward instrument to integrate environmental, social, and governance outcomes into fixed income portfolios. More importantly, green bonds are also acting as a catalyst for deeper sustainable and responsible fixed-income capital markets. This article will cover the growth of the market including some key examples from the World Bank (IBRD)2 as a pioneering issuer and contributor to standards, disclosure and transparency efforts. It will summarize key initiatives around standards and disclosure in the green bond market. Finally, the article will outline how the green bond market – despite its small size vis-à-vis the overall bond market – has changed how investors think about the purpose of their investments, and discuss prospects and opportunities for going beyond green to build sustainable capital markets. From niche issuance to a dynamic catalyst: how green bonds have changed market behavior Looking back on 10 years, the green bond market has seen a tremendous increase in depth, a growing diversity of issuers and an enabling environment that includes guidelines and disclosure frameworks for transparency and growth.