BackState Bank of India raises $100 million in green bonds
This is SBI's third iteration of green bonds and already has raised such bonds of $700 million
PremiumMUMBAI : India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) on Saturday said it has raised $100 million in green bonds through private placement.
“Continuing its commitment towards sustainable development, the bank raised $100 million floating rate notes at a coupon rate of 80 basis points (bps) above the three-month Libor," SBI said, adding that these bonds will be issued through SBI’s London branch and shall be listed on Singapore Exchange (SGX).
This is the bank’s third iteration of green bonds and already has raised such bonds of $700 million.
Rajnish Kumar, chairman, SBI said in a statement that he believes this issuance will reassure confidence in India’s strength in the international bond market.
“We at SBI have adopted the green bond framework with an objective to create a positive impact on the environment and this transaction is yet another step as part of our sustainability journey," said Kumar.
In the last few years, green bonds have become quote popular among Indian and global issuers. According to RBI, green bonds, carbon market instruments, and FinTech-based green funds are now at the forefront of climate change financing.
“The market for green bonds has issuers from more than 50 countries, including multilateral institutions like the World Bank. During 2007-2018, cumulative issuances of green bonds worldwide has been $ 521 billion, with India ranking second among emerging market economies (EMEs) in these issuances (Climate Bonds Initiative, 2019)," the central bank said in its Report on Trends and Progress of Banking in India in December last year.
RBI also said supranational institutions have been increasingly contributing to these efforts, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) already incorporating the same into its multilateral and bilateral surveillance.
“In September 2019, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) launched an open-ended US dollar denominated fund for central bank investments in green bonds aimed at management of their forex reserves and to support the deepening of the green-bond market," RBI added.
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