Development bank tests waters for first 'Amazonia' bond

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🗞️ Driving the news: The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) tested a 50 million Brazilian real ($9 million) "Amazonia" bond to finance green and social initiatives in the Amazon
• This bond is a precursor to a larger wave of Amazonia bonds aimed at conservation and sustainable development in the region

🔭 The context: This bond sale, made to the Record Emerging Market Sustainable Finance Fund, represents the first private sector bond for Amazonian projects
• The IDB, alongside the World Bank, is developing a framework to attract investment for conservation and sustainable alternatives to logging and agriculture

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The Amazon, covering over 6 million square kilometers, is crucial for absorbing climate-warming greenhouse gases and sustaining biodiversity
• The success of these bonds could significantly boost efforts to protect the rainforest and promote sustainable development

⏭️ What's next: The IDB plans to finalize guidelines for the Amazonia bonds by the UN Biodiversity COP in Colombia in October
• These guidelines will set standards for the use of proceeds, performance indicators, and sustainability targets

💬 One quote: "An emerging investor appetite to support sustainable development in the Amazon" — James Scriven, CEO of IDB Invest

📈 One stat: The Amazon rainforest spans more than 6 million square kilometers (2.3 million square miles)

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