Green-Bond Issuance Reaches $188 Billion in Blockbuster Quarter

Global sales of bonds used for green projects had their busiest quarter, driven by governments taking advantage of the sanguine credit markets to bring large deals.

Issuance of new green bonds — the largest category of sustainable debt by volume — reached $187.7 billion in the first quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Record sales in January and February boosted the quarterly figure.

Sales of bonds used to fund both green and social projects — so-called sustainability bonds — totaled $64.3 billion in the same period, also a record.

Robust investor demand for all kinds of debt has ignited ...