China raises $3b in first domestic sale of green bonds

28/01/2016 06:10 AST

Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co. raised 20 billion yuan ($3 billion) in China’s first domestic green bond offer tied to support for clean energy and environmental protection.

The bank will pay 2.95 per cent interest annually on its three-year bonds, vice president Pan Weidong at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday. The sale attracted orders that were twice the size of the offer, Pan said.

Green bond issuance has been gathering pace in recent years. A record $41 billion was raised in 2015 to finance projects that help to reduce carbon emissions, such as renewable energy and energy efficiency schemes, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

China’s central bank in December began allowing green bond issues in the interbank market. Earlier this month, the People’s Bank of China approved Shanghai Pudong Development’s issuing of as much as 50 billion yuan of green bonds.

Bonds labelled as green channel their proceeds for projects that save energy, curb pollution and recycle resources as well as clean transportation and energy. ChinaBond, the nation’s debt-clearing house, announced earlier this week that Industrial Bank Co. will sell 10 billion yuan of green bonds on Thursday.

The bank will focus on choosing projects in curbing smog and pollution along with saving and recycling resources mainly in cities surrounding Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Guangzhou for the capital raised, said President Liu Xinyi.

The value of outstanding green bonds may almost double this year to as much as $158 billion as the niche product used to fund projects tackling climate change starts to become mainstream.

HSBC Holdings Plc predicts $55 billion to $80 billion green bonds will be issued around the world in 2016, an increase of 32 per cent to 91 per cent from last year’s level, according to a research note published Tuesday in London.

A growing number of countries, including China and India, are producing green bond guidelines, helping to deliver continued growth in the market. Moody’s Corp.’s decision to assess new green bonds will also help to boost the market in the second half of the year, HSBC said.

Gulfnews