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The document examines the current state of methane abatement financing and provides guidelines for structuring sustainable debt instruments. It analyzes the transition plans of 20 major companies in the oil and gas and agri-food sectors, highlighting a significant gap between the high potential for impact and the current marginal level of private investment. The report promotes the use of Use-of-Proceeds (UOP) and Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLB) based on new sector-specific criteria from the Climate Bonds Initiative and the Methane Finance Working Group (MFWG) to avoid carbon lock-in and ensure credible decarbonization.

The report examines the application of the 2022 Basel principles for climate-related financial risks (CRFRs) in India, noting that their microprudential focus may create systemic risks. It proposes two macroprudential principles for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI): incentivising credible transition plans and supporting transition and adaptation finance. The document also details practical hurdles faced by Indian banks, such as data gaps and capacity constraints, and aligns the Basel framework with the RBI's 2022 Discussion Paper and 2024 Draft Disclosure Framework.

The report examines the financial and regulatory incentives needed to accelerate the decarbonisation of China's steel industry. It highlights a significant investment gap, noting that while pilot regions like Hebei have introduced sector-specific taxonomies and transition plan templates, national-level frameworks remain underdeveloped. The document argues that current incentives are insufficient for steelmakers due to high upfront costs and for financial institutions due to a lack of unified identification standards. It recommends expanding public subsidies, refining the capacity replacement policy to include carbon intensity criteria, and creating demand-side incentives for purchasers of low-carbon steel.

The Climate Bonds Standard version 4.3 provides a science-based framework for certifying climate-aligned investments. It covers four primary certification paths: Use of Proceeds (UoP) debt instruments, specific assets, non-financial legal entities, and sustainability-linked debt (SLD). The standard mandates independent verification by approved verifiers and requires adherence to sector-specific criteria. For entity and SLD certifications, the framework emphasizes absolute transition pathways over relative benchmarking, requiring ambitious climate mitigation performance targets (CMPTs) and robust transition plans. Additionally, the standard includes a specialized certification for agri-food entities focusing on deforestation- and conversion-free sourcing.

The document outlines a certification framework for climate resilience investments under the Climate Bonds Resilience Taxonomy (CBRT). It introduces interim criteria that bypass draft technical screening criteria until they are validated by Technical Working Groups. To be certifiable, investments must demonstrate a substantial contribution to climate resilience, manage maladaptation risks, and do no significant harm to climate mitigation objectives. The framework distinguishes between different investment types—Adapted Activities, Adapting Measures, Enabling Activities, and Enabling Measures—with specific evidence requirements for each, particularly regarding investment-level assessments and the use of science-based climate projections.

The Hong Kong Sustainable Debt Market Briefing 2024 analyzes the performance of sustainable debt in Hong Kong through the end of 2024, highlighting a decline in locally originated debt alongside a significant increase in international GSS+ bond issuance and the launch of the Hong Kong Taxonomy.

Climate Bonds proposes a framework of five hallmarks to identify companies whose decarbonisation is rapid and robust enough to align with the goal of halving emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050. These hallmarks—Paris-aligned targets, robust plans, implementation action, internal monitoring, and external reporting—shift the focus from relative sector benchmarking to absolute measures tied to transition pathways. To support this, Climate Bonds is expanding its Standard and Certification Scheme to certify transitioning non-financial corporates and their Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLBs), while also expanding market screening for all SLBs.

The report analyzes the 2024 Chinese GSS+ bond market, noting that while cumulative issuance has exceeded $500 billion, annual growth in 2024 slowed due to a decline in financial institution activity. Green bonds remain dominant, though social and sustainable bonds saw significant growth. The report highlights a gap between domestic issuance and international CBI standards, particularly in sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs), and examines the potential for GSS+ financing in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

As of Q1 2025, the cumulative aligned GSS+ debt volume reached USD 5.9 trillion, with green bonds remaining the dominant theme. While Q1 2025 saw a 17% year-on-year decline in volume compared to Q1 2024, development banks achieved a record quarterly volume of USD 63.6 billion. The market is led by supranationals and the USA, France, and China as the primary country sources.

By the end of 2024, China's cumulative aligned GSS+ volume reached USD 555.5 billion, making it the fourth largest source globally. While green bonds continue to dominate, representing 80% of cumulative aligned volume, the market saw a 4% decrease in total aligned volume in 2024 to USD 84.6 billion, largely due to a 33% drop in issuance from financial corporates. The report highlights a significant growth in aligned social and sustainability (S&S) volumes, which rose 316% year-on-year to USD 15.7 billion. However, sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) face severe integrity challenges, with only three Chinese deals achieving alignment with Climate Bonds methodology. The document also spotlights the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area as a key region for GSS+ growth and details recent policy shifts, including the February 2025 Sovereign Green Bond Framework and the Multi-Jurisdiction Common Ground Taxonomy.

The report argues that Japan's continued reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG), as outlined in its 7th Strategic Energy Plan, creates significant geopolitical security risks and threatens its 2050 net-zero target. It recommends a five-step acceleration of decarbonisation, focusing on grid modernisation, domestic renewable energy expansion, and methane abatement in the LNG supply chain.

The report examines Japan's Green Transformation (GX) strategy, highlighting the risks of continued reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) amidst geopolitical instability. It advocates for a shift toward domestic renewables, grid modernization, and aggressive methane emission reductions to ensure energy resilience and climate leadership.

The EU agriculture sector is a primary source of methane emissions, yet progress in reduction has stalled, with only a 4% decline between 2005 and 2022. The report identifies a critical 'definition gap' where the lack of clear net-zero aligned agricultural practices and transition pathways prevents banks and investors from identifying green activities. This is compounded by the exclusion of agriculture from the EU Taxonomy and the Green Asset Ratio (GAR). The report argues for repurposing the EUR 57.5bn annual Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget, introducing livestock emissions taxes, and implementing demand-side policies to reduce herd sizes. It emphasizes a 'just transition' to protect small farms and high-emission regions, particularly in France, Germany, and Ireland.

The Hong Kong sustainable debt market saw a decline in aligned GSS+ volume in 2024 to USD 10.8bn, primarily driven by a 54% drop in green bond issuance. However, social and sustainability bonds grew, and Hong Kong maintained its position as the largest arranging hub for international GSS+ bonds in Asia. The HKSAR Government continues to dominate the local market and lead the Asia-Pacific region in cumulative government green issuance. Key policy developments include the launch of the Hong Kong Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance and new climate-related disclosure requirements effective January 2025.

The report outlines key elements of credible sovereign transition plans, focusing on science-based targets, investment and policy action plans, and governance and transparency measures. It emphasizes the role of green budgeting, the mobilization of private capital, and the importance of internationally interoperable taxonomies in reducing climate-related risks for sovereign bondholders.

The document outlines a framework for mobilizing capital to reduce methane emissions and flaring in the oil and gas sector. It details how to structure debt instruments—such as green, sustainable, and sustainability-linked bonds—to prioritize emission reduction projects. The guide provides a comprehensive list of eligible activities, a hierarchy for quantifying emissions, and specific KPI and Sustainability Performance Target (SPT) matrices. It emphasizes the role of National Oil Companies (NOCs) and provides safeguards against 'greenwashing,' including requirements for third-party verification and rigorous reporting standards.

The Climate Bonds Initiative's guide outlines a comprehensive framework for bank transition disclosures, focusing on the decarbonisation of banking books. It establishes best practices across six key areas: commitment, baselines and targets, delivery strategy, aspects beyond emissions, governance, and reporting. The guidance emphasizes the need for banks to disclose both financed and facilitated emissions, benchmark trajectories against credible sectoral pathways, and implement specific phase-out dates for misaligned activities like unabated coal and new oil and gas exploration. It also integrates requirements for just transition principles and climate resilience, while urging alignment between transition plans and formal financial reporting to ensure credibility.

The document argues that while methane abatement is a cost-effective near-term strategy to limit global warming, capital deployment in the oil and gas sector is significantly lagging behind the targets required for the IEA's Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario. It proposes a framework for using use-of-proceeds (UoP) bonds, key performance indicator (KPI)-linked bonds, and conventional debt with methane-related covenants to bridge this investment gap. The authors highlight the critical role of National Oil Companies (NOCs) and the need for credible, science-based guardrails to mitigate greenwashing and fungibility risks.

The Guidance for Including Methane Abatement in Oil and Gas Debt Structuring offers a framework for using debt capital markets to fund emissions reductions in the oil and gas sector. It specifically targets National Oil Companies (NOCs) and independent producers, providing detailed criteria for qualifying projects in use-of-proceeds (UoP) instruments and defining core and secondary key performance indicators (KPIs) for KPI-linked instruments. The document emphasizes the need for measurement-based quantification, external verification by subject matter experts, and guardrails to prevent greenwashing and 'transferred emissions' during asset mergers and acquisitions.

The report examines the application of transition finance tools—including loans and bonds—to support the decarbonisation of China's steel sector, highlighting the role of regional guidelines in Hebei Province. It identifies a significant funding gap, estimating a need for $18 billion in capital expenditure over the next five years for electric arc furnace (EAF) and hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (H2-DRI) technologies. While large state-owned enterprises are leading the transition, the report notes that high costs of green steel and limited scrap steel supply remain major barriers.