Professional Documents
Culture Documents
T hese training sessions aim to provide participants from governments and private sector issuers across ASEAN with a comprehensive
introduction to the concept of blue bonds, including what they are, why they are important for ocean conservation financing and sustainable
blue economy in general, and how they can be issued. Participants should leave with a solid understanding of the opportunities that blue bonds
can offer and the ways in which their respective countries could engage with the instrument. If representatives are interested in pursuing the
concept further, there will be discussion of what next steps should be taken and what support is available to them.
OBJECTIVES
• To provide a basic overview and insight into the new and rapidly • To understand the challenges of scaling up the blue bond sector,
expanding world of thematic bonds and to hear about case studies and how these are being addressed
of past issuances. • To understand the ways in which member countries can benefit
• To understand the concept of blue bonds, including definitions, from developing their own blue bonds, and how they could go
types, and classifications about initiating this process, and how ADB could support
• To gain insight into why blue bonds are such an important • To answer any questions or concerns that participants may have on
development for ocean conservation financing, and why member this topic.
countries might consider issuance
OUTCOME
Participants will gain a sense of what thematic bonds are, what they are used for, and how they can be issued. Participants should leave the session with
a solid understanding of the concept of blue bonds, the purposes they can serve and the potential they have, as well as how to pursue an issuance. In
addition, they will get an understanding of some of the nuances of issuing a blue bond, such as the opportunities and challenges for building bankable
projects for a blue bond in their respective countries.
ALEXANDER WIESE
Managing Director, Bankers Without Boundaries
Alexander “Sasha” Wiese is a Technical Advisor for Sustainable Food and Biodiversity Finance. He is an
experienced banker and sustainable finance expert, with a focus on structuring biodiversity and nature-based
financial instruments. Sasha spent more than 15 years of his professional career in the Capital Markets Divisions
of large investment banks, mainly at Barclays and Credit Suisse, leading structuring teams on sustainable products
for institutional investors across Europe.
After having left the banking industry, Sasha has been involved in leading financial innovation in the nature and
climate space, structuring numerous debt-for-nature swaps, biodiversity-linked bonds and other sustainable
debt instruments for the corporate and sovereign sector. He currently serves as Managing Director and Global
Head of Biodiversity, Food & Agriculture Finance at Bankers Without Boundaries (“BwB”), a financial advisory
firm providing cutting edge financial innovation guidance to cities, national governments, and private sector
on projects furthering environmental and social objectives. Sasha holds a diploma in Mathematics from the
University of Technology in Darmstadt.
CHRIS SMITH
Managing Director, Bankers Without Boundaries
Chris is sector lead for Debt and is a member of the Operations & Strategy Group of the firm. He worked in
the City of London for 15 years up to 2009 where his last role was Head of Group Sustainability at Standard
Chartered. In 2009 Chris was seconded by Standard Chartered to work for HRH The Prince of Wales where he
helped set up The Prince's Rainforest Project. Chris has worked extensively across emerging markets.