Credit Suisse
When Credit Suisse accepted a mandate in October 2021 for IOI Corporation’s $300 million, 10-year bond, many observers in Malaysia could not help but wonder if the Swiss bank was trying to make a point.
Generally speaking, Credit Suisse bows to no global investment bank when it comes to sustainability issues. And here you have one of Malaysia’s biggest conglomerates – with major interests in palm oil plantations and refineries – pivoting toward sustainable and integrated palm oil value chains with the help of the bank.
It’s the right pivot for IOI to make. It's also a good look for Credit Suisse to be acting as a global coordinator, a bookrunner and a dealer manager for a bond sale which is aimed at addressing investor concerns about sustainability in the palm oil industry by highlighting IOI’s industry-leading sustainability policies and initiatives.
The more that global banks such as Credit Suisse champion sustainability in southeast Asia, sharing their technical expertise and helping to drum up investor demand, the quicker the region might go green.
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