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Everything you always wanted to know about green bonds (but were afraid to ask)

Author

Listed:
  • Danilo Liberati

    (Bank of Italy)

  • Giuseppe Marinelli

    (Bank of Italy)

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) bond market which has experienced a dramatic expansion in the last few years and is about to gain an additional boost due to the forthcoming implementation of the Next Generation plan of the European Union. We use a security-by-security data set comprising a large sample of ESG bonds (15,500) exchanged on the main global security markets, integrated with microdata used in official statistics such as financial accounts and security holdings. First, we describe the most salient features of the global supply of ESG bonds by analyzing the characteristics of issuers and securities, the differences across countries and sectors, and their evolution over time. Second, we shed light on Italian residents' holdings of ESG bonds with a focus on sectoral holdings in the context of the financial accounts statistics.

Suggested Citation

  • Danilo Liberati & Giuseppe Marinelli, 2021. "Everything you always wanted to know about green bonds (but were afraid to ask)," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 654, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdi:opques:qef_654_21
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Alessandro Ferrari & Valerio Nispi Landi, 2022. "Toward a green economy: the role of central bank's asset purchases," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1358, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    2. Simone Letta & Pasquale Mirante, 2023. "Investigating the determinants of corporate bond credit spreads in the euro area," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 36, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Sustainable finance; ESG bonds; security holdings; financial accounts;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

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