The European Investment Bank and China will this year look into ways to bring the environmental provisions of Chinese lending standards in line with global norms, so opening up more of the nation’s bond market to foreign investors, People’s Bank of China chief economist Ma Jun said over the weekend, according to a report by Caixin.
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Getting in sync with international standards is an attractive proposition for both China and the funds industry.
More than a quarter of all assets under management globally are now in funds that have a mandate for socially responsible investments, though Asia ex-Japan accounts for just 0.2% of that.
Meantime, China is keen to develop a deep and well-functioning bond market to diversify funding sources for companies and improve the allocation of capital in the economy.