Finance & economics | Green party

A wave of green government bonds is flooding markets

The benefit may be more political than economic

A WAVE OF green sovereign debt is flooding markets. Britain issued its first such bond in September, alongside other new issuers, such as Colombia and Spain. They join at least 20 countries that already issue green debt, notably Germany, which is well on its way to building a “green curve” of bonds across several maturities. Governments have together raised more than $100bn through the green route so far this year. And later this month the European Union is due to join the club. Its €250bn ($290bn) green-borrowing programme stands to make it the world’s largest sovereign issuer of the instruments.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Green party”

The shortage economy

From the October 9th 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Finance & economics

A ping pong game with a container instead of a ball.

Do tariffs raise inflation?

Usually. But the bigger problem is that they harm economic growth and innovation

A Gulfstream G600 from Hampshire Aviation Company lands at Barcelona Airport in Barcelona, Spain.

European governments struggle to stop rich people from fleeing

Exit taxes are popular, and counter-productive


Eagle claws, getting ready to collect bonds from a top hat.

Saba Capital wages war on underperforming British investment trusts

How many will end up in Boaz Weinstein’s sights?


Has Japan truly escaped low inflation?

Its central bankers are increasingly hopeful

How American bankers dodged the MAGA carnage

The masters of the universe have escaped an anti-globalist revolt