Country leads Q3 green bonds issuance

China had the leading share of global green bonds issued in the third quarter of the year, according to international rating firm Moody's Investors Service Inc's latest report.

The Moody's report said that global green bonds volumes reached another peak during the third quarter, with the strongest ever quarterly issuance, at about $26.1 billion.

Significant issuances from Chinese banks marked a return of the pattern seen in the first quarter, leading China to account for 44 percent of global issuances.

With very strong first and third quarters, Chinese issuers led issuances in 2016 with 32 percent of the total volume at $63.2 billion in the first nine months of the year, followed by US-based issuers and supranational development banks, the report showed.

The government released guidelines in August to establish a green finance mechanism, encouraging green bonds and other financial products.

China also included green finance on the G20 agenda for the first time in its history.

Moody's said that due to robust offerings from Chinese financial institutions in particular, full-year issuance could exceed $80 billion, not far off a doubling of issuances in one year.