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Q2 2020 Quarterly Webinar
Online
This is an invitation only event. For more information, please contact the SSE team.
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The UN SSE Consultative Group Quarterly Calls allow partner exchanges, regulators, investors, issuers and other key market stakeholders to share their experiences and to contribute to the SSE's work plan. More information on the Q1 2020 Webinar can be found here. 

The Q2 2020 Webinar was focused on stock exchange responses to the pandemic and the emergence of COVID-19 bonds. We had speakers from London Stock Exchange, Luxembourg Stock Exchange, the IFC and others. 

If you are interested in joining the SSE Consultative Group please contact us at [email protected]

The SSE 2020 Q2 Call took place on Wednesday 27 May 2020 at 09:00 and 16:00 Geneva Time.

Webinar Summary and Presentation

Summary

Opening remarks and an overview of the agenda were provided by the SSE. The speakers for the webinar were welcomed and the SSE began with a brief presentation on COVID-19 response bonds, highlighting how they have boosted the issuance of social and sustainability bonds. The presentation looked at some examples of issuers and use of proceeds, and how various social and sustainability bond frameworks have been used by issuers. 

Presentations from the London Stock Exchange and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (Luxembourg Green Exchange) outlined how the exchanges have supported issuers, provided an overview of the social bond markets as well as in-depth examples of some COVID-19 social and sustainability bonds, and looked at the role that blended finance, green investment and social and sustainability bonds will play in a sustainable recovery. The presentation from IFC’s explored the ICMA Social Bond Principles and the IFC’s experience as a social bond issuer. 

On both calls, there was a Q&A after the presentations. A popular topic for questions was the labeling and verification of social and COVID-19 bonds, with participants asking whether exchanges accepted non-labeled bonds, whether social bonds command a premium, and how the use of proceeds of social bonds are verified. Other questions related to the secondary market for social bonds and comparisons between the ratings, prices, and conditions for issuing social versus conventional bonds.  

The final agenda item featured SSE Secretariat updates, including: news on the 2020 Ring the Bell for Gender Equality events which featured participation by 73 exchanges despite the circumstances of the pandemic; upcoming research on derivatives markets and the carbon intensity of markets; and a reminder that the SSE Global Dialogue is scheduled to take place on 7 December 2020 in Abu Dhabi, circumstances of the pandemic permitting.

List of Participants

We had the participation of a variety of sectors from 50 markets, including 45 different exchanges, totaling 109 participants.