Emirates NBD completed a sustainable bond transaction on 8 January 2026, issuing a USD 1 billion dual-tranche instrument comprising a USD 300 million blue tranche with a three-year tenor and a USD 700 million green tranche with a five-year tenor. The transaction is the largest dual-tranche blue-green bond issued by a financial institution globally.
The deal also represents the largest blue bond ever issued in the UAE and across the Gulf Cooperation Council. The bond was issued under the bank's updated Sustainable Finance Framework, which was revised in November 2025, and falls within its established Euro Medium Term Note Programme.
BLUE AND GREEN TRANCHES
Green bonds fund projects with broadly defined environmental benefits, typically encompassing renewable energy generation, energy efficiency upgrades, clean transportation infrastructure, sustainable real estate, and pollution prevention. Blue bonds are a more specialised category, dedicated specifically to ocean-related and water-related projects, including sustainable fisheries management, marine ecosystem conservation, coastal resilience infrastructure, and sustainable water treatment and management.
USE OF PROCEEDS
The bank has not specified the individual projects that will receive proceeds from the blue and green tranches at the point of issuance.
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