Sustainable finance bonds totalled $781bn during the first nine months of 2026, an 11 per cent increase compared to 2025 levels and the strongest period for sustainable finance bonds since 2021.

Figures from LSEG show that, by number of issues, sustainable finance bond volume was up 2 per cent compared to a year ago. As a percentage of global debt capital markets proceeds, Sustainable finance bonds accounted for 7.3 per cent of overall DCM activity during the first nine months of 2026, up slightly from year ago levels.

During the first nine months of 2026, green bond issuance totalled $507.6bn, a 29 per cent increase compared to year ago levels and the strongest opening nine-month period for green bond issuance since records began. By number of issues, 1.164 green bonds were brought to market during the first nine months of 2026, up 13 per cent compared to a year ago and the strongest volume for a nine-month period on record.

European issuers accounted for the largest regional market for sustainable finance bonds with 57 per cent of the market during the first nine months of 2026, compared to 25 per cent for Asia Pacific issuers and 13 per cent for issuers from the Americas.

Equity capital markets activity for sustainable companies totalled $17.8bn during the first nine months of 2026, a 17 per cent increase compared to the first nine months of 2025 and a three-year high.

The US, China and India accounted for a combined 76 per cent of overall sustainable equity capital markets activity during the first nine months of 2026. JP Morgan topped the list of bookrunners for sustainable equity offerings during the first nine months of 2026, while Goldman Sachs, CITIC, Morgan Stanley and China International Capital rounded out the top five bookrunners during the first nine months of 2026.

Mergers and acquisitions activity involving sustainable companies totalled $119.3bn during the first nine months of 2026, a 14 per cent decrease compared to the levels seen during the first nine months of 2025 and a two-year low.

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