UK-based multinational lender Standard Chartered has issued its first-ever green bond, raising €1 billion to finance climate-related projects across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The proceeds will support initiatives spanning renewable energy, green buildings, and broader sustainability-linked infrastructure.

A First Green-Only Issuance

The transaction represents Standard Chartered’s fifth sustainable finance issuance, but notably its first focused exclusively on green use of proceeds. Until now, the bank’s sustainable finance activity included social and mixed formats. In 2025, it issued its inaugural social bond, also worth €1 billion, aimed at supporting sustainable development in low-income and emerging market economies.

Diego De Giorgi, Group Chief Financial Officer at Standard Chartered, described the issuance as a milestone for the bank’s cross-border financing model, highlighting its ability to raise capital in major financial centres and channel it into regions where sustainable finance needs are most acute.

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How the Proceeds Will Be Deployed

According to the bank, funds raised through the green bond will be allocated to a broad range of eligible projects. These include renewable energy generation, green buildings, and circular economy solutions, alongside investments in climate-resilient infrastructure, energy efficiency, sustainable water management, and natural resource protection. The scope reflects Standard Chartered’s emphasis on financing projects that contribute both to emissions reduction and long-term resilience.

Scale of the Bank’s Green Asset Base

Standard Chartered reported that its Sustainable Finance asset pool currently totals $17.4 billion, covering more than 350 green projects globally. These assets span thematic areas such as emissions reduction, climate adaptation, eco-efficient product development, waste and wastewater reduction, and sustainable management of natural resources. More than 70 percent of this portfolio is located in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, underlining the bank’s focus on emerging markets.

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Why Emerging Markets Matter

Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer at Standard Chartered, pointed to the outsized impact of climate finance in developing regions. She noted that renewable energy investments in markets such as Indonesia can deliver significantly higher carbon abatement than comparable projects in developed economies, due to the displacement of more carbon-intensive power generation. This dynamic, she said, makes green bond issuances like this one particularly impactful for global decarbonisation and sustainable growth.

With the €1 billion green bond, Standard Chartered is reinforcing its strategy of directing sustainable finance toward regions where capital can deliver the greatest climate and development returns.

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