LGX Corner - January

This month, we bring you an overview of the 2021 stats and milestones of LGX, three courses on sustainable finance, insights into the Middle East's road to sustainability and much more.

As societies and economies across the world continued to focus on the green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 started as strongly as the previous year ended in terms of sustainable finance - a strong momentum that was reflected in the steady growth of LGX.

With a total of 1,234 green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked (GSSS) bonds displayed at the end of 2021, totalling EUR 640 billion, LGX successfully maintained its leading position in sustainable finance and continued to contribute to the ongoing transformation of financial markets.

In this article, we look back at sustainable finance trends in 2021 and explain how they influenced developments on LGX.

Over three courses to be held in February and March, the LGX Academy expert lecturers will bring you up to speed on the standards, principles and best practices of the sustainable finance industry. Through detailed case studies, you will learn how to take actionable steps to make your business more sustainable.

Discover the different courses available:

Sign up for one or more courses before 10 February to benefit from the special early bird price and save up to EUR 300!

In an interview for Delano, an English-language publication in Luxembourg, Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) Head of Sustainable Finance Laetitia Hamon discusses the effective change management that is needed for the finance industry to reach the global goals set for 2030 and 2050. She highlights the important role of market operators - and more specifically the initiatives taken by LuxSE to make sustainability a natural part of finance - and looks at what is still needed to reach the global goals.

In an article for Islamic Finance News, LuxSE Director of International Capital Markets Arnaud Delestienne shares his views on how Luxembourg's leading role in sustainable finance can support the Middle East in its sustainability transition. The similarities between sustainable finance and Islamic finance may help drive demand for sustainable products in the Middle East. As a long-time advocate of Islamic finance, the Luxembourg financial centre is well positioned to help accelerate financing for the climate transition in the region.

In a recent article about the LGX DataHub, our centralised database of structured sustainability data, we dive deep into the latest developments and exclusive features of the tool.

Created in 2020 to support the growth of sustainable finance and allow investors and asset managers to build sustainable investment strategies, the LGX DataHub now includes structured data points on more than 5,000 GSSS bonds - close to the entire universe of the world’s listed GSSS bonds.

As governments and companies across the world are turning towards sustainable finance to reach their climate goals, the Luxembourg French-language business publication Paperjam has identified 6 female ambassadors in Luxembourg who have contributed to bringing sustainable finance centre stage. With 15 years of experience in different positions focused on sustainability, LuxSE Head of Sustainable Finance Laetitia Hamon was included in this prestigious list. The LGX DataHub recently reached yet another milestone - data points on over 5,000 green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds are now available in one, centralised hub!

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation's inaugural USD 500 m green bond was displayed on LGX. Proceeds will be used to finance and refinance several sustainable projects, and more specifically in the fields of renewables, Zero-emission vehicles (”ZEV”) and green buildings.

Banco Do Brasil made its debut on LGX with an inaugural USD 500 m social bond. The Brazilian bank will use the proceeds to finance or refinance existing and future social projects, including affordable housing, SME finance and microfinance, socioeconomic advancement and empowerment and access to essential services.

The Italian company Snam brought its EUR 1 bn dual-tranche sustainability-linked bond to LGX. With these two transactions, Snam accelerates its efforts to increase the weight of sustainable finance in its total funding, which is equal to 60% today, with the aim of exceeding 80% by 2025.

Sign up to our newsletter and stay up-to-date on everything LGX and the latest developments in sustainable finance.