Green bond issuance in the Asia-Pacific region has reached record levels for a calendar year, as investors increasingly embrace a market they have traditionally shunned.
In the year to date, $18.89bn has been raised from 44 green bond issuances that were open to international investors, according to Dealogic data. That compares with $17.68bn from 43 issuances across the whole of 2018 and $500m from one deal in 2013.
Companies that are known for their green credentials in the equity markets have an “interest to be recognised similarly in the fixed-income market”, said Celine Pastor, director of capital markets origination at Citi, one of the biggest green bond underwriters in the region.