BTG Pactual (BPAC11), the largest investment bank in Latin America, has joined the Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network (NSBN), the U.S. stock exchange’s database of information on the main issuances of sustainable bonds around the world. The bank registered its raising of US$ 500 million in green bonds, from January this year, alongside two other minor issuances made in 2020, and became the first financial institution from Latin America to join the list.
Commenting on that, BTG Pactual CEO Roberto Sallouti said
“Our green issuances are the recognition of our sustainable and impact investing agenda. At BTG Pactual, we are committed to helping our clients build their success while adhering to ESG values. Joining the Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network is an important acknowledgment of such engagement”.
The idea behind Nasdaq’s initiative is to improve transparency for the sustainable bonds market by creating a database so that investors can monitor issuances made all around the world, tracing information on value, projects supported and the framework of the issuing institution. Created last year, the Sustainable Bond Network already has data on more than 300 issuers from over 20 countries.
“Through our partnership with BTG Pactual, we are able to further expand the footprint of the Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network into Latin America,” said Ann-Charlotte Eliasson, Head of Sustainable Bond Network at Nasdaq. “Since its launch a year ago, we have developed the network into a leading global solution that helps issuers showcase their sustainable bonds. At the same time, investors are provided with a comprehensive tool to evaluate and compare the impact from the capital raised by the bonds.”
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BTG’s green issuance and its inclusion in the NSBN are initiatives that reinforce BTG Pactual’s commitment to identify and continuously improve best practices for sustainability, governance and the management of its business, and come on top of the bank’s other impact investment and ESG initiatives.
In 2019, the bank offset 100% of the carbon emissions caused by its global operations, including travel and journeys for work. In 2020, it created the Sustainable & Impact Investing area, which promotes the creation of products and services that combine financial return with positive socio-environmental impact, it became a signatory of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP-FI) and a member of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN).
In October last year, BTG Pactual launched Brazil’s first ESG ETF, and in November, the Landscape Capital strategy, which will be dedicated to natural climate solutions through the purchase of devastated land in Brazil and other Latin American nations in order to reforest it with native vegetation. In 2021, BTG Pactual launched its first impact investment fund, which will be allocated to companies that intend to generate positive social and environmental impact alongside solid returns.
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