ESG Currents

Outcome bonds link investor returns to measurable results and are seeing increased issuance, led by institutions like the World Bank. In this ESG Currents episode, Bloomberg Intelligence ESG analysts Melanie Rua and Chris Ratti speak with Jorge Familiar of the World Bank Group and Stephen Liberatore of Nuveen Asset Management about how these structures are scaling. The discussion focuses on how investors price outcome risk alongside credit risk, how deals are structured - including the World Bank’s $120 million Spekboom restoration bond - and where these instruments fit relative to green and sustainability-linked debt. They also examine investor demand, reporting requirements, and the role of multilateral development banks in mobilizing private capital.

This episode was recorded on April 27.
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Carbon pricing is at the heart of Japan’s decarbonization strategy. With a government-backed initiative covering about 60% of national emissions and the full launch of the Green Transformation (GX) Emissions Trading System in 2026, Japan’s carbon market is entering a pivotal phase.
In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Yuki Mori, General Manager of the Japan Exchange Group’s Carbon Credit Market, joins Bloomberg Intelligence ESG Strategist Yasutake Homma to explore the evolving role of JPX’s carbon credit market and what lies ahead. As carbon credit prices rise and global attention intensifies, the conversation also examines growing interest from international investors and the implications for Japan’s expanding carbon ecosystem.
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Two experts, one question: Is climate risk already priced in? On this week’s episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Bloomberg Intelligence EMEA ESG integration analyst Grace Osborne hosts an Oxford-style debate. Dr. Jakob Thomae, co-founder and CEO of Theia Finance Labs, argues for the motion, while Dr. Ben Caldecott, founding director of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group and a coordinating lead author on finance for the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report, argues against it. From green tech outperformance to central-bank stress tests, the signals are mixed. Greater information availability may help investors price climate risk, but radical uncertainty — from second-order effects to tipping points — remains far harder to capture. This episode was recorded on March 3.
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The Greenhouse Gas Protocol has become the de facto market standard for measuring and reporting carbon emissions. But does its focus on enterprise-wide reporting really lead to optimal decision-making? Carbon Measures, a coalition of industrial firms, is developing a new framework for product-level carbon accounting. On this week’s episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ESG Analyst Rob Du Boff speaks with Amy Brachio, CEO of Carbon Measures, to discuss why product-level intensity standards may help improve business decision-making for the climate transition. This episode was recorded on April 9.
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Sustainability is moving beyond high-level ESG rhetoric and becoming more embedded in how investment mandates and RFPs are structured — but what is actually changing in practice? In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Sarika Goel, global head of sustainable investment manager research at Mercer, joins Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ESG Analyst Shaheen Contractor to unpack how sustainability expectations are shifting within investment mandates and manager selection. They explore how ESG requirements are being reframed — and where expectations are tightening or softening. The discussion also examines how these shifts are influencing portfolio construction, from integration to thematic allocations and private markets exposure, as well as regional differences in mandates. Finally, they consider what has remained consistent despite the noise and what the next generation of mandates may look like.
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