China’s Green Bonds Are Cheaper Than Almost Everywhere Else

  • Green bond demand in China trails supply as issuance jumps
  • Companies can’t get better pricing for environmental projects

A worker stands in an observation tower over looking photovoltaic panels at a solar farm in Gonghe County, Qinghai province, China.

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
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Compared with the rest of the world, China’s green bonds are on sale.

Demand hasn’t kept pace with a torrent of issuance, leaving borrowers unable to command the price premium -- or “greenium” -- that companies elsewhere in the world enjoy as a reward for environmentally friendly initiatives.