IFC Invests in Mongolia’s First Ever Green Bond in a Bid to Spur Climate-Smart Investments

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Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, March 17, 2023-In a bid to spur green and renewable energy projects in Mongolia, IFC is investing in a green bond to be issued by the country's largest commercial financial institution, Khan Bank, which is the first-ever green bond to be issued in the country.

IFC is investing $15 million in the $60 million, five-year bond and the offering has attracted another $45 million from international investors, including $35 million from Dutch entrepreneurial development bank (FMO), and $10 million from MicroVest Capital Management (MicroVest). This investment will allow the bank to grow its climate portfolio by funding projects that support renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, green mobility, and climate-smart agriculture in Mongolia. IFC's subscription will also contribute to improved sustainability of the country's financial market.

Mongolia is a country facing significant environmental challenges. Air pollution levels in its capital Ulaanbaatar are among the highest in the world, with coal and wood burning in homes and coal power plants all contributing to the pollution. The country has also experienced significant climate change, with average temperatures increasing higher than the global average. Rainfall has also declined with more extreme climate driven hazards, including heat waves, droughts and river floods, all expected to put pressure on the country's unique fragile ecosystem.

IFC's investment in Khan Bank's green bond is expected to support Mongolia's goal to increase green lending from 1.4 percent at present to 10 percent of all banking sector lending by 2030. In addition, the project is expected to help mitigate climate change by avoiding tens of thousands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

"Green finance is a priority for the bank. With the steadfast support of our longstanding partners, IFC, FMO, and MicroVest, Khan Bank, as the largest bank in Mongolia, is proud to issue Mongolia's first-ever green bond. This transaction marks a significant milestone for our bank and Mongolia's banking sector to promote green financing and sustainable economy. This investment will enable us to provide long-term loans to our clients and help us diversify our funding sources," said Munkhtuya Rentsenbat, CEO, Khan Bank. "We are committed to working with IFC and other partners to introduce more innovative financial instruments in the market."

IFC advised Khan Bank on adopting a green bond framework for this issuance and plans to help the bank develop more climate and gender finance products. Earlier this year, Khan Bank received a $130 million syndicated loan arranged by IFC to support micro, small, and medium enterprises, especially women-owned businesses, in Mongolia.

"This marks an historic move for Mongolia and vital to help the country deliver on its climate ambitions," saidAllen Forlemu, Regional Industry Director, Financial Institutions Group, Asia & the Pacific, IFC," Green bonds are an effective way to draw in funding to finance green projects for the benefit of the country and its people. By supporting the country's first green bond, in line with international standards, IFC is helping set a standard in the market and we hope it will send a strong signal to other banks and corporates to tap into green finance and develop projects that will help the country meet its climate and development goals."

"We are thrilled to contribute to this first-of-its-kind green bond issuance in Mongolia, once again extending our cooperation with our long-term partner Khan Bank," said Marnix Monsfort, Director Financial Institutions at FMO. "Through this bond-provided to the largest bank in the country reaching 82 percent of Mongolian households-we hope this paves the way for more sustainable green bond instruments across the country, contributing to significant climate action. Therefore, this transaction is fully aligned with our strategy to accelerate action towards climate change, contributing to SDG 13. FMO looks forward to intensifying our partnership with Khan Bank as they strengthen their green strategy."

"As a long-term partner of Khan Bank, MicroVest is incredibly proud to participate in the Bank's issuance of Mongolia's first Green Bond," said Joshua Moraczewski, Chief Executive Officer at MicroVest. "This offering represents a significant milestone that will help drive a low-carbon, climate-resilient future for Mongolia and facilitate the establishment of green initiatives while making progress toward net-zero targets."

Mongolia has committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 22.7 percent by 2030. The annual financing required to achieve Mongolia's green development targets is estimated to be $413 million, with 80 percent from international investors and private sector players.

IFC has been a strong supporter of Mongolia's sustainable finance development in the past decade. IFC helped the country develop and adopt the Environmental and Social risk management requirements for commercial banks. IFC also helped formulate Mongolia's Green Bond Regulation and Guideline documents, enabling the issuance of green bonds in the local market.

Globally, IFC is one of the world's largest financiers of climate-smart projects for developing countries and one of the earliest issuers of green bonds. As of December 31, 2022, IFC issued $11.6 billion across 187 bonds in 20 currencies.

About IFC
IFC-a member of the World Bank Group-is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2022, IFC committed a record $32.8 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of global compounding crises. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

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About Khan Bank
Khan Bank has been providing all types of banking products and services to more than 82 percent of the population, or 2.8 million customers, through its digital channels and 545 branches nationwide. Khan Bank supports MSMEs, which are the key drivers of the country's economic growth, by offering business loan products and non-financial services such as customer training and advisory and consulting services through its Business Support Center. In the last decade, Khan Bank has been actively implementing projects in line with sustainable development initiatives, aiming to be greener and offering environmentally-responsible products and services. Click here to read Khan Bank's Sustainable Development Report 2021. For more information, visit www.khanbank.com.

About FMO
FMO is the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. As a leading impact investor, FMO supports sustainable private sector growth in developing countries and emerging markets by investing in ambitious projects and entrepreneurs. FMO believes that a strong private sector leads to economic and social development and has a 50+ year proven track-record in empowering entrepreneurs to make local economies more inclusive, productive, resilient and sustainable. FMO focuses on three sectors that have high development impact: Agribusiness, Food & Water, Energy, and Financial Institutions. With a total committed portfolio of EUR ~12 billion spanning over 85 countries, FMO is one of the larger bilateral private sector development banks globally. For more information: please visit www.fmo.nl. 

About MicroVest:
MicroVest Capital Management (MicroVest) is an asset manager specializing in allocating private debt capital to responsible microfinance and SME financial institutions that lend to un- or under-banked borrowers and small businesses in emerging and frontier markets. Since its founding in 2003, MicroVest has disbursed more than $1.6 billion to over 200 responsible financial institutions in 60 emerging and frontier countries. MicroVest is wholly owned by DAI Global, LLC.

For more details, https://microvestfund.com/

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