(24 March 2025 – United Kingdom) Standard Chartered has issued a debut €1 billion social bond concentrating on small-to-medium sized enterprise (SME) lending in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
The proceeds will primarily be utilised to finance SMEs expanded access to credit, new jobs and empower women-owned businesses
Four-fifths of all its US$5.5 billion in eligible social assets are located primarily in five countries including India, Malaysia, Bangladesh, China and Nepal. The bank will also finance essential healthcare and education services, affordable basic infrastructure and food security projects.
StanChart has been active in the sustainable bond market since its 2019 sustainability bond debut ahead of its current inaugural social bond issuance, raising over US$2 billion from sustainability bonds which combine green and social projects according to Environmental Finance Data.
“The eight year bond issued as a seven year non-call deal is an important milestone for the bank. This first social bond issuance underscores our commitment to people, communities and businesses and provides a unique opportunity to mobilise capital at scale towards inclusive growth and development across our markets” commented Standard Chartered Chief Sustainability Officer, Marisa Drew.
“The fact that 99 percent of our social assets are located in Asia, Africa and the Middle East is a differentiating factor for us as an organisation and enables us to offer clients a dynamic sustainability proposition to jointly drive impact across our footprint.”