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Nasdaq (NDAQ) announces that the Nasdaq Baltic exchanges will highlight sustainable bond issues on the Baltic Bond List in response to growing interest in sustainable bonds among investors and issuers.
The “green leaf” symbol, introduced on the Nasdaq Baltic website nasdaqbaltic.com, highlights sustainable bonds on the Baltic Bond List and is intended as a sign of support for green, social, and sustainable bond issues, underlining how capital markets can contribute to more sustainable development in the Baltics.
“We are thrilled to see growing demand worldwide for investment products with a sustainable focus,” says Indars Ascuks, head of the Nasdaq Baltic Market. “Capital markets are paramount to tackle the challenges of our times. We wish to make our contribution to making the Baltic region a place where investors look for sustainable investments and companies for sustainable finance.”
“With this initiative we are giving investors the opportunity to target business models and projects in the Baltics that clearly benefit the environment, social welfare or both,” says Daiga Auziņa-Melalksne, Head of Exchange Services at Nasdaq Baltic and CEO of Nasdaq Riga.
The Nasdaq Baltic Bond List currently includes three Green bonds: one issued in 2015 by Latvia’s Latvenergo, which thus become the first state-owned energy company in Eastern Europe to offer green bonds, one issued last year by the Lithuanian state-owned energy company Lietuvos energija, another issued in 2017 by the Latvian development finance institution ALTUM.
About Sustainable Bonds
The Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Market was the first of its kind in the world and is one of the largest in Europe. It distinguishes between three categories of bonds: Green, Social and Sustainable. International standards define Sustainable Bonds as loans used to finance projects that bring clear environmental and social-economic benefits. Green Bonds are defined as loans used to finance projects and activities that benefit the environment. Social Bonds are used to finance projects achieving positive socio-economic outcomes. For more information on sustainable bonds and eligibility criteria, visit: business.nasdaq.com.
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