On September 5, 2022, Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (President & CEO: Masahiro Kihara) issued a green bond.
We have promoted our sustainability initiatives as an integral part of our group strategy. Based on our awareness that climate change is one of the most crucial global issues having the potential to impact the stability of financial markets, we have positioned addressing environmental issues and climate change as a key part of our corporate strategy. In May 2022, in taking concrete steps forward with our response to climate change as outlined in our Environmental Policy, we are pursuing efforts to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5°C. To this end, we formulated Mizuho’s Approach to Achieving Net Zero by 2050, which demonstrates our aims and actions towards realizing a low-carbon society by 2050, and the Net Zero Transition Plan, which indicates the direction of our initiatives. Based on this Environmental Policy and so on, utilizing engagement and holding constructive dialogue with clients as a starting point, we are supporting clients’ transition to a low-carbon society and their climate change responses.
In order to accelerate our environmental business and expand our positive impacts on the environment through finance, we have set a target for environmental finance of 12 trillion yen from FY2019 to FY2030 and are proactively promoting our initiatives. The green bond (EUR 800 million) we have issued serves as a portion of funds for this environmental finance and responds to the needs of investors who have a high level of interest in the environmental field. This is the largest euro-denominated green bond issued by Japanese financial institutions. We have issued and managed green bonds based on a green bond framework we have formulated in line with the International Capital Market Association’s Green Bond Principles 2018 and the Japan Ministry of the Environment’s Green Bond Guidelines 2020. The framework has been reviewed with a second-party opinion from Sustainalytics, a third-party certification organization.
We will provide the funds we raise through the green bond to our subsidiary Mizuho Bank, Ltd. (President & CEO: Masahiko Kato), which will use them to finance environmentally-friendly projects, including renewable energy (hereinafter “green projects”).
At Mizuho, we have strengthened our initiatives toward a sustainable society (sustainability action) including climate change responses and transition to a low-carbon society. Leveraging our knowledge as a financial services group, we will proactively continue to provide advice, and solutions, including financing support such as sustainable finance and environmental finance, for strengthening and shifting our clients’ businesses towards decarbonization.
Summary of green bond