(Luxembourg, 16 March 2016) The United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative celebrates today the Luxembourg Stock Exchange committing to working with the UN to create sustainable and transparent capital markets by becoming an SSE Partner Exchange. As the SSE’s 50^th Partner Exchange, the Luxembourg Stock Exchange brings with it a wealth of experience in listing green bonds and green finance. Following the COP21 agreement, green bond issuance is expected to play a growing part in green finance, and stock exchanges can play a distinctive role in scaling-up the market and promoting transparency, accountability and comparability while facilitating investor assessment and trust in the asset class. “As the leading stock exchange in the world for the listing of green bonds with 100 listings, and as a capital markets intermediary committed to a sustainable economy, the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) facilitates access to green bond instruments for an increasing number of issuers,” said Robert Scharfe, CEO of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, on the occasion. “LuxSE understands that exchanges increasingly play a role beyond connecting issuers and investors,” Mr. Scharfe added. “We can help capital markets bring social and economic benefits to the economy and society as a whole. Green Bonds are a good example of this direction.” LuxSE is committed to the continued growth of the green bond market and is determined to do what it takes to facilitate green fund raising and offer the highest transparency to investors: First, fostering transparency and disclosure; second, actively supporting the further evolution of the industry standards, and third, accelerating market developments, according to the exchange. The SSE is very pleased to be working with LuxSE to help share best practice among its other partners and to continue to facilitate the growth of green finance in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the evolving climate agenda. LuxSE will be participating in the SSE Executive Dialogue on Green Finance that will take place in Nairobi, Kenya on 20 July as part of the UNCTAD World Investment Forum, alongside other green bond and green finance experts and capital market leaders. For further details on this event, please visit the events page of our website.