Crédit Agricole CIB Japan gathers leading market players to discuss important developments in Sustainable Finance

Crédit Agricole CIB is committed to sustainable financing, one of the pillars of its current Medium-Term Plan. To encourage a collaborative dialogue on the latest trends and developments in the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) arena, Crédit Agricole CIB gathered leading market players in this field during its “Japan Sustainable Day” online conference. This was the opportunity to discuss hot topics such as the recent European Union (EU) taxonomy, as well as climate transition finance and sustainability-linked bonds which are gaining momentum in the global sustainable finance market. 
 

“The publication of the EU taxonomy in June 2020 is a game changer, as it fosters comparability and transparency for sustainable investment activities, both for companies and market participants. The disclosure regulation provides additional safeguards against green washing, and supports capital flows into sustainable investments.”

Antoine Rose, Sustainable Banking, Crédit Agricole CIB

In addition to this, sustainable finance will be an integral component of the funding strategy of the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund “NextGenerationEU”. The objective of the EU is to fund in the upcoming years around 30% of NextGenerationEU, equivalent to EUR 250 billion, through green bond issuances, which will make it one of the largest green bond issuers in the world. This EU’s commitment to sustainable finance will further support the growth of the green bond market, and will thus help meet the strong demand from investors.

Such positive developments in the sustainable finance market are not limited to Europe. In Japan, very encouraging signs have been observed during the past two years. A growing number of corporates and financial institutions have made public their ESG policies with clearer and more ambitious objectives, encouraged by the recent announcements of the Japanese Government to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. In parallel, Japanese bond investors are increasingly focused on the SDG goals in their investment decisions.
 

"Japan is a major player in the sustainable bond market, being the second largest issuer in Asia, relying on the strong existing base of Sovereigns, Supranationals and Agencies (SSAs), financial institutions and corporate issuers. Crédit Agricole CIB has been an active contributor and frequent issuer in the sustainable bond market, particularly in Japan, and will continue to support and advise its clients in Japan and globally to issue, arrange and distribute sustainable bonds and loans.”

Tomonori Yoshida, Head of Debt Capital Markets for Japan, Crédit Agricole CIB

08.06.2021

Press release - Crédit Agricole CIB's 2021 "Japan Sustainable Day" Will open in a new tab