“As the world continues to deal with the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, sovereign sustainability bonds, such as the one we welcome to LuxSE and LGX today, are crucial to securing a sustainable recovery in countries affected by the crisis. It is our great honour to be chosen as the international listing venue by the Kingdom of Thailand, and we look forward to contributing to enhancing the visibility of the Thai sustainable finance market on the global stage,” commented Julie Becker, CEO of LuxSE and Founder of LGX.
Rebuilding sustainably
In August 2020, the Kingdom of Thailand became one of the first sovereigns in the world to issue a sustainability bond. The 15-year inaugural bond issuance paved the way for two more tranches of the bond in the following months, bringing the total amount raised to THB 50 billion. The first and third tranches of the Kingdom of Thailand’s inaugural sustainability bond finance clean infrastructure projects such as the construction of the Bangkok MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) Orange line, while the second tranche raised financing for public health expenditures and support to small and medium-sized enterprises hit hard by the pandemic.
“The issuance of Sustainability Bonds shows Thailand’s continuous commitment to deal with climate change following the Paris Agreement and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to combat poverty, inequality and environmental degradation by 2030. We strongly believe that the issuance of Sustainability Bonds by the Kingdom of Thailand will contribute to the development of the sustainable finance market domestically as well as internationally, and foster international partnership towards sustainable development,” said Thailand’s Minister of Finance, Mr Arkom Termpittayapaisith, who spoke from Bangkok during the ceremony.
Award-winning labelled bond