SBI successfully issues $250 mn green bonds for sustainable projects

The State Bank of India (SBI) has successfully issued $250 million in senior, unsecured, green floating rate notes through a private placement facilitated by its London branch. These notes are set to mature on December 29, 2028. The bonds, listed on the Global Securities Market of the India International Exchange, carry a floating rate of 1.20% above the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) and are part of SBI's $10 billion medium-term note program. The funds raised through this issuance will be dedicated to eligible green projects in alignment with the bank's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) financing framework. The issuance received approval from the bank's board in April 2023 and was coordinated and placed by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. In addition to this recent green bond issuance, SBI has been actively securing financing for sustainable projects. The bank signed a $165 million line of credit from the World Bank to support grid-connected rooftop solar projects in residential and institutional sectors. Furthermore, SBI inked a ?200 million (~$220 million) line of credit from the European Investment Bank for climate action projects in India, pending necessary approvals. Recently, the German development bank Kreditanstalt f?r Wiederaufbau (KfW) granted SBI a ?70 million (~$76 million) loan to assist in refinancing solar projects with a total capacity of 180 MW as part of phase III. This follows a series of collaborations, including a low-interest loan of ?150 million (~$150.66 million) from KfW in 2022 to finance innovative solar projects, and in 2021, SBI approved Rs 319.18 billion (~$4.26 billion) in renewable energy project finance, supporting over 752 projects with a combined installed capacity of 13.8 GW. Additionally, in the same year, SBI, in partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB), launched a ?100 million (~$121.63 million) initiative to enhance sustainability financing.