(Bloomberg) -- Annual issuance of global sustainable bonds reached $1 trillion for the second time in 2024, fueled by record sales of green and sustainability notes.
And sustainability chiefs on Wall Street expect borrowers to continue tapping the booming global debt market to fund sustainability goals, even as what’s projected to be a less ESG-friendly Trump administration takes office.
Last year’s issuance of green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds was 10% above 2023’s and the second-highest since the market’s 2007 inception, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Sales by companies and governments were a record $1.126 trillion in 2021.
However, the 4,490 offerings that priced in 2024 were the most ever, thumping the old high of 3,729 set a year earlier.
Sales of green bonds, the largest category of sustainable debt by volume, reached $571 billion, topping 2021’s $563.5 billion. Issuance of sustainability notes — whose proceeds can be used to fund both green and social initiatives — jumped to $239.7 billion. The prior record was 2021’s $235 billion. Social bonds had their second-busiest year in 2024.
But issuance of controversial sustainability-linked bonds dropped for a third year, reaching its lowest level since 2020.
ISSUANCE
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--With assistance from Jiayu Liu.
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