Green

DBS launched its debut green bond and the first such international issue from Singapore yesterday (Tuesday), a $500m (EUR429m, SGD681m) five year floating rate note that the issuer said delivered “very compelling” pricing after investors placed some $900m of orders for the paper.

An EU standard and label for green bonds and other sustainable assets can unlock the market’s potential, according to recommendations presented to the European Commission, while at a hearing yesterday (Tuesday) the EMF-ECBC called for the establishment of green mortgages to let the industry “do our job”.

Nordea took green bonds to a new tight with the launch of a EUR500m five year senior unsecured green debut on Monday that achieved pricing some 4bp through the Swedish group’s regular issuance and the lowest spread on any five year senior unsecured benchmark in a decade.

A majority of green bonds offer public information on the use of proceeds after issuance, a new report from the Climate Bonds Initiative has found, with a Blackrock official lauding “tremendous” progress in such reporting. However, more is required in certain areas, with some failing to meet basic guidelines.

Berlin Hyp sold a higher share of a Eu500m long six year green Pfandbrief to foreign accounts than on any of its previous benchmark covered bonds, according to head of investor relations and sales Bodo Winkler, while adding accounts new to the credit and achieving tight pricing.

Garanti Bank has placed a TL530m (Eu134m, $150m) five year covered bond with International Finance Corporation with a commitment to use half the proceeds to offer green mortgages, making it the first such green-orientated transaction in Turkey, according to the issuer.

The European Covered Bond Council hopes to ultimately introduce a green covered bond label alongside its Energy Efficient Mortgages initiative, the ECBC’s Jennifer Johnson yesterday (Monday) told a climate bonds conference, where appropriate pricing and collateral were under scrutiny.

Energy efficient mortgages being advanced by the EMF-ECBC can be a key element in boosting green covered bonds and helping the EU meet energy targets, according to an industry survey and participants at a stakeholder meeting today (Thursday), where a Commission official welcomed the initiative.