The market for labeled bonds brings together issuers that wish to raise capital to finance various environmental and social commitments and build rapport with sustainability investors. We examine the key developments so far in the calendar year.

Integrating sustainability and climate risk and impact into bond and private-debt analysis is becoming an increasingly important aspect of portfolio construction. This paper discusses a range of metrics that could guide investors in making these assessments.

While examining use of proceeds remains a key element of analyzing green bonds, we highlight four additional metrics to assess these bonds and their issuers in a more quantitative way. They offer a new set of lenses with which to tackle the analysis.

As extreme weather events become more prevalent, the utilities sector is on the front lines. From investing in microgrids to burying transmission lines, there are ways to help climate-proof infrastructure. But funding is key, and it looks like the green bond market is a good a place to start.

The rapid growth in green bond issuance since 2015, along with diversification in types and regions of issuers, has resulted in substantial expansion of the Bloomberg Barclays MSCI Green Bond Index. In this paper, we examine the key trends facing the green bond market by analyzing the evolving composition of the index since its inception. We also examine key external trends – emerging regional standards, social and sustainability offshoots, innovative funding instruments – that may broaden...

As the green-bond market matures, it is developing offshoots. The types of projects financed, as well as the emergence of innovative types of bonds and loans linked to the ESG targets, is growing. These initiatives may broaden the market for green investment options.