On October 5, 2018 Nikkei Asian Review reported that “(a)s demand for socially responsible investments grows, more Singapore companies are taking advantage of loans that link interest payments to improvements across a range of environmental and social measures.
Such deals allow companies to tap a new source of debt financing from investors who prefer to back companies that score highly when benchmarked against various environmental, social and governance, or ESG, targets.”
According to the article, CapitaLand “obtained a five-year, 300-million-Singapore-dollar ($217 million) multi-currency loan from Singapore’s DBS Group Holdings with interest rates that could be lowered if the developer improves its ESG scores.”
The article notes that other companies have also obtained ESG-linked debt: “City Developments, commodities trader Olam International and palm oil and sugar giant Wilmar International, which has faced numerous allegations in the past of failing to rein in suppliers who violate the environment and communities.”
You may read the article on the Nikkei Asian Review internet site.