Have we hit a sustainability plateau? Interview with Andrew Chew, director of sustainable finance at ING Bank

In 2017, Amsterdam-headquartered ING Bank issued a EUR 1 billion loan to health technology firm, Philips, creatively linking a flexible interest rate margin to the conglomerate’s sustainability performance and ratings. The deal marked the world’s first ever sustainability-linked loan SLL,  distinguishing the structure from other forms of traditional green finance, including green bonds and  green loans, through its offer of much looser restrictions around use of proceeds.

Six years later, SLLs have evolved into a $240 billion global market, with industry guidelines and principles actively issued and updated and participants from Asia Pacific often participating in the space.  

As a pioneer in...