Sustainable Bond Certificate

Description

Sustainable bonds, which focus on providing financing for environmental and social objectives and advancement, surpassed the USD 2 trillion-dollar milestone in September 2021, 14 years after the first green bond in 2007. The various sustainable bond principles, for which ICMA is the secretariat, remain the foundation of the global marketplace and practices.

This course is designed for professionals who already have a reasonable understanding of fixed income but need to know more about the theory and real market application of sustainable bonds and all the ICMA principles (green, social, sustainability and sustainability linked), coupled with the rapidly evolving global policy, taxonomies, and other relevant regulation. We will use practical examples and case studies throughout the course to enhance the learning. The course will be further enhanced with presentations from leading market participants – e.g., investors, external reviewers and issuers.

What you will learn

By completing this course you will be able to:

• Identify and apply the key components of the ICMA Green Bond, Social Bond and Sustainability-Linked Bond Principles and the Sustainability Bond Guidelines, including their governance.
• Discuss the practical application of a Sustainable Bond/Finance Framework and the follow-on impact reporting from a sustainable bond.
• Discuss how the ICMA Climate Transition Finance Handbook works and how issuers can align with its guidance as we progress towards the Paris climate goals.
• Recognise the different types of external reviews such as SPOs that can be assigned to sustainable bonds and frameworks.
• Appreciate the wider context of practicalities of the sustainable bond marketplace including the steps in coming to market, what investors are looking for and have come to expect, the role of indices, listing authorities and data providers, etc.
• Link the main regulations and legislative initiatives that resulted from the 2018 EU Action Plan with an emphasis on the EU’s Disclosure Regime. Specifically Article 8 under the EU Taxonomy, the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and the proposed Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
• Describe the how the EU Taxonomy works and appreciate the proposed EU Green Bond Standard. Identify the main features of other global taxonomies and standards and the interplay of those with the sustainable bonds market and the Principles.