June 20, 2023 SA-H2 is an innovative blended finance fund, that will facilitate and accelerate the development of a green hydrogen sector and circular economy in South Africa The fund will give private sector developers access to risk capital from an early stage of development, throughout construction and into operations “Succeeding in a…

June 20, 2023 EIB continues to lead innovation in capital markets with a digital native green bond issuance denominated in Swedish krona. The SEK 1 billion digital green bond has a maturity of 2 years and bears a 3.638% fixed rate coupon, with Crédit Agricole CIB and SEB as joint lead managers. The…

June 19, 2023 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has today published a research report about Audit Committee Chairs’ views on, and approach to Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) activities and reporting. The report, commissioned by the FRC and conducted by independent research agency YouGov, involved qualitative interviews with 40 ACCs of Public Interest Entities (PIEs), representing…

June 15, 2023 The Royal Bank of Canada estimates that building a net-zero economy could create up to 400,000 new jobs in Canada by the end of this decade alone. As of last fall, Canadian employers were trying to fill more than one million job vacancies. A significant number of those vacancies (243,400) were in the professional,…

June 13, 2023 In a move to bolster the EU sustainable finance framework, the European Commission has unveiled a comprehensive package of measures. The proposed package aims to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the transition to a climate-neutral and sustainable economy by 2050 while addressing the challenges faced by companies and investors in complying with…

June 12, 2023 The European Commission on Friday released a series of proposed changes to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), the rules and requirements for companies to report on sustainability-related impacts, opportunities and risks under the EU’s upcoming Corporate Sustainable Reporting Directive (CSRD). The Commission’s proposals were released as a draft Delegated Act, along…

June 11, 2023 Tima Bansal is a professor and Diane-Laure Arjaliès an associate professor at Ivey Business School Action to block asset managers’ use of “green” filters in a growing number of US states reflects an escalating political backlash against mission-driven investment, with great relevance to students of business. According to deal data provider PitchBook,…

June 9, 2023 The European Union’s Modernisation Fund has disbursed €2.4 billion to 31 projects in seven beneficiary countries to help modernise their energy systems, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in energy, industry and transport, and improve energy efficiency. It is the joint largest disbursement to date and will provide a boost to Europe’s green transition.…

June 9, 2023 Uruguay’s state oil company Ancap announced on Thursday a feasibility study for a new $4 billion green hydrogen project, part of a broader government plan to produce low-cost renewable energy. “Here in Uruguay, and here in Paysandu, we are going to benefit from this investment,” President Luis Lacalle Pou told reporters in…

June 9, 2023 The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the We Mean Business Coalition (WMBC), in collaboration with Accounting for Sustainability (A4S), Global Accounting Alliance (GAA), and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), recently released a guide to help accountants navigate the world of greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting. As climate change continues to…

June 9, 2023 The government of Australia announced that it is for the first time mandating Australia’s financial regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), to incorporate climate change-related risks as part of its role. The new requirement, released as part of an updated Statement of Expectations for ARPA, includes “promoting transparency in relation to…

June 9, 2023 The European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA, and ESMA) have released a Progress Report outlining a common understanding of greenwashing in the financial sector. Greenwashing can refer to intentionally or unintentionally offering misleading sustainability information and – unsurprisingly – the ESA’s report highlights lack of data as a cause. In their coordinated efforts,…