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The report assesses the Philippines' green finance landscape, highlighting a strong private-sector-led green bond market and significant investment potential in renewable energy, low-carbon transport, sustainable water, and waste management. It details existing policy frameworks, such as the ASEAN Green Bond Standards, and provides a sample pipeline of 79 green projects to attract international and domestic capital.

The Climate Bonds Standard Version 3.0 provides a science-based framework for certifying green debt instruments. It mandates pre- and post-issuance requirements, including the use of a Green Bond Framework, independent verification by Approved Verifiers, and annual reporting on allocation and eligibility. The standard is designed to be compatible with the proposed EU Green Bond Standard and uses a specific Taxonomy and Sector Eligibility Criteria to prevent 'greenwash' and facilitate large-scale climate-aligned investment.

The document identifies key obstacles to the growth of Indonesia's green bond market, including currency hedging costs, market illiquidity, and a lack of bankable green projects. It provides a roadmap of solutions involving government subsidies, MDB credit enhancements, and regulatory reforms to attract international investors.

The document argues that while India has a growing green bond market, it primarily funds utility-scale projects, leaving a gap for small-scale green investments. It proposes green securitisation (ABS) as a mechanism to pool small loans for rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and sustainable agriculture, allowing non-bank financial institutions (NBFCs) to offload assets and increase lending capacity. The report identifies regulatory hurdles, such as strict credit rating requirements for institutional investors and a slow judicial system for contract enforcement, and provides six recommendations to increase the supply and demand for green ABS.

Vigeo Eiris conducted a limited assurance procedure from November 15 to November 29, 2019, concluding that Banco Votorantim's first 2019 Green Bond is in material conformance with the Climate Bonds Standard (CBS) version 2.1. The bond's proceeds are intended for the construction and operation of photovoltaic and wind energy generation systems. The verification covered the selection of assets, internal controls, and reporting procedures, confirming that eligible expenditures in the solar and wind sectors will not have more than 15% of electricity generated from non-renewable sources. Approximately 35% of the net proceeds are expected to be used for refinancing.

The Nigerian Green Bond Market Development Programme, a partnership between FMDQ Securities Exchange, Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), and FSD Africa, aims to develop a corporate green bond market in Nigeria over three years. Since its June 2018 launch, the programme has facilitated capacity building for regulators, investors, and issuers, and supported the creation of the SEC's Green Bond Listing Rules. Key achievements include the issuance of the first CBI-certified corporate green bond in Africa by Access Bank PLC and a long-tenured green infrastructure bond by North South Power. The report emphasizes the need for financial incentives, such as tax credits, to offset the costs of external reviews and to attract private capital to bridge Nigeria's significant infrastructure gap.

Attend Ambiental issued a BRL55m (USD13m) green bond on 09-10-2019 with a maturity date of 15-10-2026. The bond is designated as the first Brazilian green bond to exclusively finance water and waste projects, specifically targeting the refinancing of industrial waste treatment facilities in Barueri, Sao Paulo. The proceeds cover a loan from US Bank and Corporación Interamericana para el Financiamiento de Infraestructura (CIFI) used for plant construction, extension, and investments in four pre-treatment lines. The issuer, a partnership between Sabesp and Estre, commits to annual reporting on the allocation of proceeds and impacts via its website and Sustainability Report.

The report evaluates the environmental impact of 25,787 electric vehicles in Santander Consumer Bank's Norwegian portfolio as of July 2019. It calculates that these vehicles avoid 28,600 tons of direct CO2 emissions annually compared to a fossil-fuel baseline, while generating 13,600 tons of indirect emissions from electricity production, resulting in a net reduction of 15,000 tons of CO2 per year.

The report analyzes 61 green bonds (USD 56.6bn) from H1 2019, finding that EUR green bonds generally outperformed vanilla equivalents in oversubscription and spread compression. While 53% of allocations went to self-declared green investors, two-thirds of the sample priced without a new issue premium, and 61% showed tighter spreads than comparable bonds 28 days after pricing. A sector spotlight reveals that half of EUR Utility bonds issued in Q2 2019 were green, significantly exceeding the global average for the sector.

The document argues that while governments hold primary responsibility for climate policy, central banks and financial regulators (CBFRs) should actively use their powers to 'green' the financial system. It identifies systemic risks from 'brown' assets and the 'tragedy of the horizons,' where short-term financial metrics undervalue long-term climate risks. The briefing proposes a comprehensive toolkit for CBFRs, including the creation of a 'brown taxonomy,' mandatory climate disclosures, and the adjustment of risk-weightings and collateral haircuts to penalize carbon-intensive assets and reward green ones. It also suggests reforming quantitative easing (QE) and reserve management to move away from 'market neutrality' toward a model that supports sustainable investment.

The Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) has introduced the Climate Resilience Principles to integrate climate adaptation and resilience into the Climate Bonds Standard. The framework distinguishes between asset-focused investments (ensuring an asset's performance over its lifespan) and system-focused investments (delivering broader systemic benefits). It requires issuers to conduct physical climate risk assessments—covering hazards, exposure, and vulnerability—and demonstrate that investments are 'fit-for-purpose' and do not cause maladaptation. The Principles also address the potential for 'mitigation trade-offs,' where emissions requirements might be relaxed for projects providing exceptional resilience benefits. These Principles will be used by Technical Working Groups to create sector-specific certification criteria.

The document provides a comparative analysis of the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy against two Chinese green frameworks: the NDRC Green Industry Guiding Catalogue and the PBC Green Bond Endorsed Project Catalogue. It highlights that while the EU Taxonomy is rooted in the Paris Agreement and employs a systemic approach with six environmental objectives and strict carbon thresholds, the Chinese catalogues focus more on pollution prevention and industry guidance without specifying carbon emission thresholds. The EU framework explicitly excludes fossil fuel activities without carbon capture, whereas the Chinese catalogues include them. The report also details the EU's 'Substantial Contribution' and 'Do No Significant Harm' (DNSH) principles, which require activities to benefit at least one environmental goal without harming others.

The report highlights New Zealand's climate leadership through policies like the Zero Carbon Bill 2019 and the ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling. It notes that while the green bond market is small, it is growing, with total green and sustainability debt from New Zealand entities reaching NZD3.7bn. The document identifies significant investment needs in infrastructure, particularly in Auckland, and explores five key sectors for green investment: renewable energy, low-carbon transport, sustainable water management, sustainable waste management, and green buildings.

The 2019 Green Infrastructure Investment Opportunities report for Australia highlights a significant pipeline of projects in renewable energy, low carbon transport, sustainable water, waste management, and green buildings. While Australia has seen a boom in solar and wind investment and a growing green bond market, the report notes a continued reliance on high-carbon infrastructure and a lack of integrated national emissions reduction priorities. It argues for a greater role for the superannuation sector and the adoption of 'brown-to-green' transition strategies for carbon-intensive industries to meet Paris Agreement targets.

Freddie Mac issued a USD 435 million green CMBS on June 28, 2019, to support the Multifamily Green Advantage suite of loan offerings. The proceeds target building improvements such as LED lighting, insulation upgrades, and water-efficient fixtures. Loans from 2019 onwards must meet a 30% savings reduction threshold and a 15% energy efficiency requirement. Reporting on the proceeds is conducted monthly via the master servicer and trustee, with annual public performance reports provided by Freddie Mac.

Vigeo Eiris performed a pre-issuance verification of Société Générale SFH's 2019 Green Covered Bond, concluding that the bond's framework and nominated projects align with the Climate Bonds Standard version 2.1, specifically for low carbon residential buildings in France.

The Bioenergy Criteria provide a framework for certifying use-of-proceeds instruments, physical assets, and bioenergy companies. Certification requires meeting specific life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emission thresholds that decline over time toward a 'close to zero' target by 2050. It also mandates that biomass feedstocks meet sustainability requirements, often verified through pre-accepted certification schemes, and that facilities implement comprehensive adaptation and resilience plans to manage physical climate risks.

DNV GL has verified that Meidensha's proposed Green Bonds, intended to fund mass-production facilities for electric vehicle parts, align with the Climate Bonds Standard v2.1 and other international green bond frameworks. The portfolio includes three projects: Nagoya Works, Kofu Meidensha Electric Mfg. Co., Ltd., and Numazu Works, with a total bond amount of 6 billion JPY and a maturity of 5 years. The verification confirms that the projects are designed to reduce CO2 emissions and contribute to UN SDGs 7 and 13.

The German green bond market reached a cumulative emission volume of 33.6 billion EUR by May 2019, ranking fourth globally. The market is dominated by financial institutions and development banks, with clean energy and low-carbon buildings as the primary sectors for funding. The report highlights a high rate of external verification and reporting, while noting significant potential for growth among fully climate-aligned companies, particularly in the transport sector via Deutsche Bahn.

As of May 2019, Germany's cumulative green bond issuance reached EUR33.6bn, with clean energy and low-carbon buildings as the primary sectors for proceeds. The market is dominated by financial corporates and development banks, notably KfW, with a high prevalence of external reviews and post-issuance reporting. While sovereign green bonds have not yet been issued, the German government is exploring this possibility for 2020. The report also identifies a significant opportunity for growth among climate-aligned issuers, particularly in the transport sector via Deutsche Bahn.