The first update to the Green Bond Principles (GBP) since 2018 was issued on Thursday, including formalising recommendations that bond frameworks and external reviews be used, and a recommendation of heightened transparency around issuer-level sustainability aims.
Eika Boligkreditt sold its first green bond on Tuesday, with the green element and a defensive approach contributing to a successful outcome in an uncertain market, according to an official at the Norwegian issuer, whose framework tackles taxonomy alignment and reflects green progress in the Eika Alliance.
Belfius inaugurated a green bond framework last Tuesday with a €500m six year senior non-preferred (SNP) issue and achieved a “greenium” of several basis points, according to lead bankers, as banks took advantage of strong demand for green bonds to tap the euro market for SNP and Tier 2.
The final EU Taxonomy delegated act looks set to prove accommodating to green covered bonds, with a new leaked version aligning with current market practice of the top 15% most energy efficient buildings, as originally recommended by the TEG, and other criteria also relaxed.
A leaked updated draft of the EU Taxonomy delegated act contains looser eligibility criteria that would be applicable to a wider range of buildings, but it could still exclude green bonds under several existing frameworks and has been deemed inconsistent and still overly restrictive.
OP Mortgage Bank issued the first Finnish green covered bond yesterday (Thursday), a €750m deal with proceeds earmarked for energy efficient buildings that achieved a peak €1.6bn-plus book and the tightest 10 year spread since May 2019 – “a great outcome,” according to head of funding Tom Alanen.
Crédit Agricole Italia sold the first Italian green covered bond on Monday, a €500m 12 year deal that achieved the tightest pricing of any Italian covered bond, and its head of financial management said the debut delivered on the French group’s ESG strategy and commitment to investors.
MünchenerHyp issued its first senior green bond on Wednesday, a €500m eight year deal that is also its first senior non-preferred euro benchmark, with the German bank moving to take advantage of persistent demand in credit markets at higher yields in spite of elevated rates volatility.
Deutsche Kreditbank (DKB) will in future only tap the bond markets in green and social format, after having sold the first deal compliant with the latest draft of the EU Taxonomy and Green Bond Standard, a €500m five year that is also the first senior preferred bank bond issued at a negative yield.
The Federal Republic of Germany took the green bond market to a new level on 2 September with the launch of its first green Bund. Ahead of Germany’s first green bond auction on 4 November, Deutsche Finanzagentur co-CEO Dr Tammo Diemer discussed with Sustainabonds’ Neil Day its twin bond concept, how the pandemic has affected its activity, and the arrival of the EU in the sustainable bond market.
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