PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:
Gecina (Paris:GFC) is pleased to report that the note holders invited to vote approved the transformation of 100% of its outstanding bond issues into Green Bonds for a total of €5.6bn.
The requalification of the 15 outstanding issues as Green Bonds was submitted for approval by note holders invited to attend a General Meeting for each existing issue.
92% of the note holders voted to approve this innovative program, with this result highlighting investors’ confidence in Gecina’s CSR strategy. Gecina has also made a commitment to apply the Green Bond format for all future issues.
This pioneering program aims to accompany the continuous, global improvement in the Group’s asset portfolio, including existing assets, and its environmental performance. It is based on an ambitious and dynamic Green Bond Framework (available on the Company’s website), which has been subject to a second-party opinion by ISS Corporate Solutions.
On this operation, Gecina was advised by Crédit Agricole CIB and Allen & Overy.
In addition, the Group has signed two amendments to transform €475m of bank borrowings with HSBC into responsible lines. Responsible credit lines therefore represent 60% of the Group’s bank facilities in place today.
“This innovative program is a first. With it, Gecina is one of the few companies in the world to have an exclusively green euro bond financing program. This is fully aligned with its CAN0P-2030 plan, targeting net zero carbon emissions for the Group’s operational portfolio, with increasingly demanding criteria for the allocation of funds raised. It also builds on the policy launched in 2018 to set up responsible bank loans. Thanks to this requalification of 100% of its bond financing, 82% of the Group’s €10bn of total financing now includes a CSR component. This fully justifies our presence in the CAC 40 ESG index”, confirms Nicolas Dutreuil, Gecina’s Deputy CEO in charge of Finance.
About Gecina
As a specialist for centrality and uses, Gecina operates innovative and sustainable living spaces. The Group owns, manages and develops Europe’s leading office portfolio, with nearly 97% located in the Paris Region, and a portfolio of residential assets and student residences, with over 9,000 apartments. These portfolios are valued at 19.7 billion euros at end-2020.
Gecina has firmly established its focus on innovation and its human approach at the heart of its strategy to create value and deliver on its purpose: “Empowering shared human experiences at the heart of our sustainable spaces”. For our 100,000 clients, this ambition is supported by our client-centric brand YouFirst. It is also positioned at the heart of UtilesEnsemble, our program setting out our solidarity-based commitments to the environment, to people and to the quality of life in cities.
Gecina is a French real estate investment trust (SIIC) listed on Euronext Paris, and is part of the SBF 120, CAC Next 20, CAC Large 60, CAC 40 ESG and Euronext 100 indices. Gecina is also recognized as one of the top-performing companies in its industry by leading sustainability benchmarks and rankings (GRESB, Sustainalytics, MSCI, ISS ESG and CDP).
