2026-09-22 – https://esgnews.com/standard-chartered-backs-thailands-795m-biodiversity-slb/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=standard-chartered-backs-thailands-795m-biodiversity-slb

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Bangkok is expanding the scope of sovereign sustainable finance by putting biodiversity alongside carbon reduction in its latest government bond. Thailand’s Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) has issued a $795 million Sustainability-Linked Bond (SLB) with a 15-year and eight-month tenor. It is the country’s second sovereign SLB and the first in Asia to integrate biodiversity […]

The post Standard Chartered Backs Thailand’s $795M Biodiversity SLB appeared first on ESG News.

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Standard Chartered Backs Thailand’s $795M Biodiversity SLB – ESG News

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Standard Chartered Backs Thailand’s $795M Biodiversity SLB

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Standard Chartered Backs Thailand’s $795M Biodiversity SLB

by ESG News Editorial Team

•
September 21, 2026

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Standard Chartered supported Thailand’s $795 million sustainability-linked bond, the country’s second sovereign SLB and Asia’s first to incorporate biodiversity KPIs.

The bond targets a 47% cut in net greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 levels by 2035. It also sets a 30% land conservation target for 2030.

Investor demand reached 1.45 times the issuance size, building on Thailand’s inaugural sovereign SLB programme, which raised more than $7.3 billion through multiple reopenings.

Bangkok is expanding the scope of sovereign sustainable finance by putting biodiversity alongside carbon reduction in its latest government bond.

Thailand’s Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) has issued a $795 million Sustainability-Linked Bond (SLB) with a 15-year and eight-month tenor. It is the country’s second sovereign SLB and the first in Asia to integrate biodiversity targets.

Standard Chartered served as Joint Sustainability Structuring Bank, Joint Bookrunner and Joint Lead Arranger. Investor demand reached 1.45 times the issuance size.

Biodiversity enters the sovereign bond framework

The bond links financing to two sustainability key performance indicators. Together, they extend Thailand’s framework beyond emissions reduction.

The first KPI targets net greenhouse gas emissions of 152 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035. The calculation includes emissions from land use, land-use change and forestry.

Thailand aims to cut emissions by 47% from 2019 levels under the target. The goal forms part of the country’s pathway towards net-zero emissions by 2050.

The second KPI focuses directly on nature. Thailand aims to expand protected terrestrial and inland water areas by 2030. The target also includes biodiversity conservation areas outside formally protected zones.

Together, these areas must cover at least 30% of Thailand’s total land area.

Standard Chartered helped the PDMO develop the nature-related component of the framework. The bank drew on its nature finance expertise to support the new biodiversity target.

Charles Corbett, Global Head, Public Sector at Standard Chartered, said: “We are proud to contribute our sustainable finance, debt capital markets and nature finance expertise to help mobilise capital in support of Thailand’s long-term development objectives.”

Charles Corbett, Global Head, Public Sector at Standard Chartered

Rahul Sheth, Managing Director, Debt Capital Markets & Head, Sustainable Bonds, said: “This landmark transaction demonstrates Standard Chartered’s deep expertise and market leadership in innovating financing solutions aligned with the sustainability aspiration of our sovereign clients”

Rahul Sheth, Managing Director, Debt Capital Markets & Head, Sustainable Bonds

RELATED ARTICLE: Standard Chartered Introduces ESG-Linked Cash Account

Standard Chartered builds on first Thailand SLB

Thailand launched its inaugural SLB as Asia’s first sovereign sustainability-linked bond and only the third globally.

The programme raised more than $7.3 billion in local-currency financing through multiple reopenings. It also helped establish the country’s 15-year benchmark government bond.

The financing supported national climate priorities, including electric vehicle adoption and wider climate policy implementation. The transaction also gave investors a reference point for Thailand’s developing sustainability-linked finance market.

Standard Chartered was the only international bank directly involved in both SLB transactions.

In 2024, its Debt Capital Markets team helped develop Thailand’s inaugural Sustainability-Linked Financing Framework. The bank worked alongside the Asian Development Bank and other stakeholders. Together, they sought to align the framework with international market standards and investor expectations.

Standard Chartered returned as Joint Sustainability Structuring Bank for the framework behind Thailand’s second SLB in August 2026.

Sovereign sustainable finance moves beyond carbon

Thailand’s second issuance broadens the environmental outcomes that governments can incorporate into sovereign sustainability-linked debt.

Climate targets have dominated the market. Biodiversity and nature loss remain harder to translate into measurable financial KPIs. Thailand’s framework offers a sovereign example of how governments can connect nature commitments with capital markets.

For executives and investors, the structure expands the range of performance metrics entering sovereign sustainable debt. It also puts greater focus on credible measurement, transparent reporting and long-term policy continuity.

Thailand has now linked its sovereign financing framework to both its 2050 net-zero pathway and its 2030 conservation target. The transaction adds another model for governments exploring how biodiversity goals can sit alongside emissions targets in sustainable finance.

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ESG News Editorial TeamThe ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time, objective reporting on global ESG regulations, climate finance, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC, IFRS, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards, ESG disclosures, and climate policy. Access over 10,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.

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Topics

Asia

Carbon Reduction

Charles Corbett

ESG News

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Rahul Sheth

Standard Chartered

sustainability-linked bond

Thailand

Thailand’s Public Debt Management Office

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2026-09-22 – https://esgnews.com/standard-chartered-backs-thailands-795m-biodiversity-slb/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=standard-chartered-backs-thailands-795m-biodiversity-slb

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