Exchange in Focus: Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network Builds a Framework for a Sustainable Future

26 February 2021

In 2019, Nasdaq launched the Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network (NSBN), a global platform that aims to increase transparency and accessibility to green, social and sustainability bonds. The network was a natural expansion of Nasdaq’s existing Sustainable Bonds Market launched in 2015, which lists more than 200 green bonds.  Green bond issuance has grown substantially since the first green bonds were issued in 2007,as investors seek opportunities to fund environmental and climate-related projects. The NSBN provides investors with detailed information on sustainable, green and social bonds for investment due diligence, selection and monitoring. NSBN displays all data, qualitative information and documents submitted by issuers on an open to-all website and disseminates the information in a machine-readable format through proprietary market data feeds. Nasdaq's goal is to bring transparency to the global sustainable bonds market, equipping both product issuers and investors with the information they need to make data-driven decisions to help advance organizations looking to take on green initiatives. NSBN has more than 4,800 bonds and 350 issuers.  Ann-Charlotte Eliasson, head of European debt and sustainable bonds, Nasdaq, gave an interview about how the network is digging into the SDGs, expanding into Asia, and offering additional services to investors. More here BTG Pactual, the largest investment bank in Latin America, is the last organization that joined the NSBN. 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. The list also includes bonds added by International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group focused on the private sector in emerging markets and the African Development Bank include bonds intended to raise funds to manage issues in developing countries following the Covid-19 pandemic.    

SSE Databases 

The SSE’s research pillar aims to support a better understanding of the key sustainability issues facing stock exchanges and provide decision-ready data and best-practice examples to assist exchange leaders in their sustainability efforts. Research compiled by the SSE initiative is provided free of charge as a public good and is available on the SSE’s website, through publications, and via interactive online databases.   SSE Stock Exchange Database To learn more, visit the SSE’s database of stock exchange sustainability activities. Currently, the database has data on 103 stock exchanges and tracks progress on key activities where exchanges are promoting sustainable business and investment practices. It is the largest data set of its kind and the data is freely accessible.    SSE ESG Guidance Database The SSE ESG Guidance Database contains a comprehensive list of all stock exchange ESG guidance documents in the world so that other stock exchanges can learn from their peers. The database is now updated to include an analysis of major ESG reporting instruments referenced in stock exchange guidance documents. To learn more, check our press release about the new database.   Securities regulators database SSE has a new interactive Securities Regulators Database to provide examples of how securities regulators are already contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. These examples can be filtered by the ten action areas found in the SSE’s Action Plan for securities regulators which is the central guidance of the SSE publication How securities regulators can support the Sustainable Development Goals. To learn more about SSE work in this area, visit our Securities Regulator workstream on the SSE website. 

About the SSE

​The SSE initiative is a UN Partnership Programme organised by UNCTAD, the UN Global Compact, UNEP FI and the PRI. The SSE’s mission is to provide a global platform for exploring how exchanges, in collaboration with investors, companies (issuers), regulators, policymakers and relevant international organizations, can enhance performance on ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) issues and encourage sustainable investment, including the financing of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The SSE seeks to achieve this mission through an integrated programme of conducting evidence-based policy analysis, facilitating a network and forum for multi-stakeholder consensus-building, and providing technical assistance and advisory services.