The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), a multilateral development financial institution focused on the energy sector, announced that it has successfully raised $750 million from its debut green bonds.
The US-denominated five-year benchmark issuance, the first green bond in the MENA region issued by an energy-focused investment institution, was nearly three times oversubscribed, garnering $2.2 billion in orders from more than 80 institutional and sovereign investors.
All projects funded by APICORP using these green bonds will be aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on renewable energy, green buildings, pollution prevention and control, and low-carbon technologies and solutions.
A designated Green Bond Committee (GBC) will oversee the evaluation process of the projects to ensure their compliance with APICORP’s recently launched ESG and Green Bond Frameworks, alignment to best practices, and that they support local and national energy sustainability strategies.
In addition, APICORP plans to issue an Annual Green Bond Report on the environmental impact of the bonds to ensure stakeholder visibility.
CEO of APICORP Dr. Ahmed Ali Attiga said, “The shift to more sustainable energy solutions is no longer an option, it is a must, and we at APOCORP are here to accelerate this shift within the region.
“Through our debut green bonds, APICORP opens new investment avenues to build a more sustainable future for the Arab world and give millions of people access to safer, cleaner, and more affordable energy sources.”
In terms of geographic distribution, investors from outside the Arab region accounted for 93 percent of the total subscribers of the issuance, with 45 percent based in the UK and Europe. Notably, 63 percent of the subscribers are strictly ESG-focused investors.
For his part, Chief Financial Officer of APICORP Dr. Sherif El Sayed Ayoub said, “The success of our green bonds reflects the strong demand in sustainable investments.
The interest from leading global institutional and sovereign investors in this issuance, particularly those focused on sustainable and responsible investing, also underscores the strong reputation APICORP has built and their trust in our ability to promoting the ESG agenda in the MENA region.”
APICORP recently announced that it will allocate almost $1 billion to green energy projects over the next two years.
