News

Hypo Vorarlberg reflected its state’s environmental ambitions with the first Austrian green bank bond on 12 September, a EUR300m five year deal that was also the first senior unsecured issue from the country since the Heta crisis, with its green status deemed a factor in smooth execution.

Berlin Hyp is planning its second senior green bond, a long dated euro issue expected after a roadshow starting Friday, which would make it the most prolific issuer of green benchmarks. The mandate comes after oekom upgraded the bank’s sustainability corporate rating to put it top of its peer group.

The EMF-ECBC is hoping to gain European Commission support and funding for developing a data protocol that would help optimise its energy efficient mortgages initiative, although a speaker at a plenary meeting of the industry body warned that “the best is the enemy of the good”.

Deutsche Kreditbank head of treasury Thomas Pönisch attributed impressive pricing on its second green bond on Tuesday to the “green factor”, while the German lender extended its commitment to the market with a longer oekom agreement and a larger pool that could see a private placement follow.

Green bonds do not yet offer cheaper funding than conventional comparables, according to a report from the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), even if momentum reflected in moves from IPTs and secondary performance – notably on an Apple bond – suggests a positive future.

A former Bank of England MPC and PRA board member played down hopes of a cut in risk weights for green mortgages at a meeting yesterday (Thursday) where members of the European Commission high level expert group (HLEG) and others discussed their recommendations on sustainable finance.

Garanti Bank is placing a TL305m (Eu75m) covered bond with the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD), the Turkish bank announced today (Thursday), with a commitment to use the proceeds to lend green mortgages, in a follow-up to a similar bond placed with the IFC.

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.