ESG

The funds will be mobilised to support initiatives such as the Asean Power Grid, in collaboration with four Malaysian banks.

Proceeds from the three-year notes will be mostly used to refinance maturing debentures.

The funds were raised to further support the firm’s cleaner energy supply to remote mining sites across Australia; this is the first debt fundraising from Octa Group.

The Australian iron ore giant is looking to decarbonise from proceeds raised by the transaction; the landmark deal comes as the US steps back from green investing.

The seventh issuance, listed on SGX, aims to continue leveraging blended finance to develop gender-lens investments across Asia; a second tranche in the pipeline could make it the largest in the WLB series.

Global ESG sukuk increased by 12% in H1 2025 to about $50bn equivalent outstanding. The GCC accounted for over half of this, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while Malaysia and Indonesia together represented 40%. Pakistan made a market debut as an issuer.

Amid rising geopolitical fragmentation and tightening capital, infrastructure is emerging as a resilient asset class. Philippe Valahu discussed how a shift towards climate-smart, gender-inclusive, and blended finance-backed projects is redefining long-term value.

French investment bank Natixis CIB has appointed Thaddeus Tien and Omkar Joshi to strengthen its Asia M&A push, with both starting in June.

Andrew Cross, CFO at the Beijing-based infrastructure bank, shared his views on private capital mobilisation, high interest rates, sustainabilty bonds, and the attraction of Hong Kong as a fundraising destination; the AIIB is looking to deploy $75bn by 2030.