Global issuance of green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds (ESG) was soft on December due to seasonal factors but ended the year with moderate volume growth. Volumes for the year were up 3.7% to USD 976bn, which compared to an increase of 3.9% for the year through November. Green bond issuance was up 5.8% to USD 600bn for the year. Social bond issuance showed volume growth of 6.1% to USD 146bn while sustainable bond issuance rose 13.8% to USD 200bn. Sustainability linked bonds (SLBs) were by far the weakest bond category with a volume decline of 50.7% yoy to USD 30bn as issuers and investors increasingly shifted their preference to use-of-proceeds bonds […]