Australia’s first green bond a $4.8bn hit with markets

SYDNEY: Australia said its first ‘green bond’ raised billions of dollars and was vastly oversubscribed on Tuesday, a boost for those backing a bigger role for markets in tackling climate change.

Canberra said it had sold $4.8 billion-worth of 10-year bonds, which are designed to finance projects that promise to be more environmentally friendly.Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers hailed the sale, saying the money would be invested in hydrogen hubs, large-scale batteries and clean transport.

It will, he said, “help make Australia an indispensable part of the global economy and bring new jobs to communities all around the country.”Governments around the world routinely turn to debt markets to meet borrowing needs or to pay for large-scale projects.

Australian authorities said they had received more than $15 billion in bids from 105 investor institutions during the issue, meaning it was more than 200 percent oversubscribed.And investors appeared ready to pay a premium for the asset.

The yield -- the interest rate that investors stand to gain by holding bonds -- was slightly below that of comparable 10-year Australian sovereign debt, according to market data.Australia had shopped the bond on a roadshow that visited Europe and Asia. Meetings with US buyers were held virtually.