Recognising that the Green, Social and Sustainability (GSS) bonds have a crucial role to play in tackling the ongoing climate crisis and helping financial institutions achieve their Sustainable Development Goals, AICB and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) co-organised the IFC Green, Social, and Sustainability (GSS) Bonds Executive In-Person Program to provide the banking workforce with an in-depth understanding of the mechanics of GSS bonds issuance and the underlying drivers in sustainable finance.

At this closed-door event developed exclusively for AICB members, delegates gained a better understanding of:

• the GSS bond issuance as an integral part of a bank's ESG strategy
• building a GSS Bond Framework in line with the GSS Bond Principles / Guidelines, commissioning a Second Party Opinion, and making these two documents a core component of the bank's outreach to investors, and
• the different steps and timeline for successfully bringing a Green Bond to market.

Delivered by experienced leading market practitioners, including faculty from IFC, leading market investors, investment bank trailblazers, second opinion providers, and key representatives of banks who have issued GSS bonds, the programme sought to strengthen the delegates’ foundational skills in green and sustainable finance and provide insights into global best practices, exciting opportunities in the green bonds market, and creating and disseminating global public goods through classroom-based learning materials and dynamic learning components such as case studies, team assignments, interactive discussions, guest speakers, and an investor pitch simulation.

A total of 40 delegates comprising mid- and senior-level officers of banks and financial institutions in Malaysia working in the key areas of treasury, loan administration, legal, IT, sustainability, investor relations, strategy, business development, and reporting, in their respective organisations, attended the programme.