The investment community in Latin America and the Caribbean longs for two things these days: innovation and thematic bonds. This flourishing interest in environmental, social and governance matters will be critical to financing the construction of a better world.
Paraguay has a unique opportunity to position itself in the global market and seek its first thematic bond. With the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference, COP28, just around the corner, the time has come to make this a reality.*
Subordinated bonds can extend financing to the real sector and priority segments, such as small- and medium-sized enterprises, women entrepreneurs, and green projects that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Thematic bonds—and transparently measuring and reporting their impact—are a powerful tool for mobilizing resources and deepening financial inclusion for microenterprises within the most vulnerable groups of society who have yet to be served by the financial sector.
The risks involved in sustainability-liked bonds often focus on insufficiently robust and ambitious targets and KPIs, improperly crafted incentives and structural loopholes. All these can be alleviated with better monitoring of issuers.
Sustainability-linked bonds provide issuers with much leeway for the use of proceeds and market participants are getting a better understanding of their risks and rewards, as well as how they can be “gamed”. Green-washing is only one of several risks looming.