ESG & Climate Finance

Transparency of ESG investment ratings faces regulatory scrutiny

December 8, 2021

 Reuters reported market regulators set out a global framework to police environment, social and governance (ESG) investment ratings and help combat ‘greenwashing’ in the fast-growing, multi-trillion dollar sector. Source

Liberty Latin America is committed to ESG practices across LAC region

December 8, 2021

In one of Nasdaq’s recent “Trade Talks,” Liberty Latin America Chief Legal Officer John Winter joined Jill Malandrino to discuss how Liberty Latin America is committed to ESG practices across Latin America and the Caribbean.   Source

IDB Invest to support Central America, Dominican Republic, Colombia through new fund

November 26, 2021

IDB Invest has invested $10 million in CASEIF IV L.P., a new mezzanine debt and private equity fund managed by LAFISE Investment Management Ltd. that will provide mezzanine finance and equity for high-growth potential mid-sized companies in Central America, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia. With a target size of $75 million and $450,000 of […]

S&P Dow Jones Indices launches ESG Version of the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index

November 26, 2021

S&P Dow Jones Indices, the world’s leading index provider, has announced the launch of the S&P 500 Equal Weight ESG Leaders Select Index. Based on the equal weighted version of the iconic S&P 500®, the new benchmark bridges the benefits of equal weight indices with a significant improvement in ESG performance from the parent S&P […]

Amazon’s Climate pledge fund backs electrofuels start-up Infinium

November 18, 2021

US e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc’s Climate Pledge Fund has co-led a USD-69-million (EUR 59.4m) funding round for ultra-low carbon electrofuels company Infinium, in what is the fund’s second investment in the start-up in 2021.   Source

How blue bonds promise to boost Latin America’s economy

November 18, 2021

Announced during the UN climate summit in Glasgow, the recent issuance of Latin America’s first blue bond could be a major milestone. The region stands to benefit from this nascent financial mechanism aimed at protecting water sources and creating opportunities for populations living near them. The fixed-rate bond issued by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) […]

Barbados seeking to establish ‘green bank’

November 5, 2021

Barbados is to establish a green bank that will facilitate private investment in domestic low-carbon, climate-resilient infrastructure. Several governments have in recent years established green banks as part of their efforts to facilitate private investment into domestic low-carbon, climate-resilient infrastructure. Source

GSS bonds and other forms of sustainable finance have become a mainstream feature of Latin American debt capital markets

October 27, 2021

Sustainability issues in Latin America have long been closely linked to finance, but never more so than today. Latin America’s tropical forests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth—and highly vulnerable to the increasingly significant effects of climate change. Source

COP26: Latin America heads to Glasgow climate summit with half-empty hands

October 26, 2021

Latin America and the Caribbean are heading to a new climate summit with a menu of insufficient measures to address the effects of the crisis, in the midst of the impact of the covid-19 pandemic. The world’s most unequal region, which is the hardest hit by the effects of climate change and highly vulnerable to […]