Media releases
Westpac issues climate bond for Japanese retail investors
28 February, 2018
Westpac Group is the first Australian major bank to issue a climate bond to Japanese retail investors, known as the Uridashi bond market, to support the bank’s funding for climate change solutions.
The A$117.3million, 5 year climate bond was issued via a quasi-public trade through lead manager SMBC Nikko. It was well supported by Japanese retail investors with volume usually attracting A$50-$75 million for this sort of trade.
“This deal is the fourth climate bond issued by Westpac and contributes to the bank’s target to facilitate up to A$3 billion of green bond issuance and arrangement by 20201,” said Richard Salmon, Westpac’s Director of Balance Sheet Funding, Treasury.
“Westpac’s strong credit rating and green credentials met the growing appetite amongst Japanese households for environmentally conscious investments.”
“We are a regular issuer in the Uridashi Bond market but this is the first time we have taken the climate bond route,” Mr Salmon said.
Westpac’s first climate bond was issued in May 2016 into the Australian domestic market2 and has raised a total of A$1.5billion across all four issuances to date.
Like most green or climate bonds issued by banks, Westpac’s climate bond is a ‘use-of-proceeds’ bond, meaning funds are used to finance or re-finance sustainable projects. For this bond, proceeds will fund renewable energy projects, low carbon commercial property and rail transport.
External auditors provide an Independent Reasonable Assurance Report certifying the Westpac Climate Bond program as meeting the criteria of the Climate Bonds Standards of the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) allowing CBI to grant certification for this issuance.
About Westpac’s sustainability leadership:
Westpac has had a long running commitment to support climate-conscious customers to help Australia transition to a net zero carbon emissions economy, with a strong track record of lending to renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
The bank’s leading sustainability performance, including climate change strategy, was internationally recognised in September 2017 with Westpac being named as the world’s most sustainable bank for the tenth time in the last 16 years by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
The world’s first Climate Awareness Bond was issued by the European Investment Bank (EIB) in 20073. The first in the Australian market was a A$300 million five-year issue from the World Bank in April 2014, managed by Westpac4. According to the CBI the Green Bond market reached US$156.7bn issuance in 2017 and is forecast to jump to US$250 billion in 20185.
1Climate Change Position Statement and 2020 Action Plan - Westpac
2 Westpac Prices its first Climate Bond
3http://www.eib.org/investor_relations/cab/index.htm
4World Bank Launches First Kangaroo Green Bond - World Bank Group
5https://www.climatebonds.net/