The US$400BN Sustainable Bond Market of the London Stock Exchange Explained: Aude Rajonson, LSEG

The London Stock Exchange's sustainable bond market represents $400 billion in securities across 16 currencies, serving 1,200+ debt issuers from 90+ countries. But can Canadian Indigenous communities actually access these markets?

In this first of two episodes, Aude Rajonson, Head of Fixed Income Origination at the London Stock Exchange, answers this question definitively. She explains how the London Stock Exchange's sustainable bond market works for debut issuers.

We asked the critical questions: What's the minimum deal size? Do you need ratings? Can you issue in Canadian dollars? The answers remove common barriers. The London Stock Exchange has no minimum size requirement - $10 million private placements to $500 million public benchmarks all qualify. Canadian dollar issuance is fully supported. Ratings are common but not mandatory. Fee structure is upfront only, no annual costs.

Beyond practical access, Aude explains how the sustainable bond market evolved over ten years from pure green bonds to include social bonds (healthcare, education), sustainability-linked bonds, and innovative structures responding to community needs.

Part 2, which releases next week, explores specific innovations like blue and green bonds and the practical steps for debut issuers to access these markets.

Essential listening for institutional investors with sustainable finance mandates and Indigenous communities exploring international capital markets.