IDB Launches $100M Amazonia Bond to Drive Sustainable Growth and Forest Protection

In a historic move toward green finance and environmental preservation, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has issued its first-ever Amazonia Bond, raising $100 million to fund sustainable development across the Amazon Basin. This inaugural issuance represents a key milestone under the IDB's $1 billion Amazonia Bond Program, designed to channel global capital into projects that promote biodiversity protection, climate resilience, and community empowerment in one of the world's most vital ecosystems.

Structure and Standards: Ensuring Impact and Transparency

The bond issuance follows the Amazonia Bond Issuance Guidelines, co-developed by the IDB and the World Bank, alongside the IDB's Sustainable Debt Framework. These frameworks establish rigorous standards for use of proceeds, impact measurement, and transparency—ensuring that each dollar raised directly supports measurable environmental and social outcomes.

The five-year fixed-rate bond, managed by Crédit Agricole CIB, carries an annual coupon of 3.802%. Proceeds will finance high-impact projects that strengthen economic resilience, sustainable forest management, and livelihood opportunities for Amazonian communities.

Catalyzing Broader Green Market Participation

The launch of the Amazonia Bond has already inspired further action. The National Treasury of Brazil has voiced its support and is exploring the issuance of its own sovereign Amazon Bonds, with technical assistance from the IDB and the World Bank. This step could mark the beginning of a broader regional green capital market, driving scalable investments into climate and nature-positive projects.

IDB President Ilan Goldfajn highlighted the broader significance:

"The issuance of our Amazonia Bonds represents a new chapter in sustainable finance—one that channels investments into nature-based solutions and community-driven progress. As a first mover, our Amazonia Bond Program offers a blueprint for others to follow, mobilizing private capital to protect the Amazon and uplift its people."

Global Partnerships and Collaborative Action

The Amazonia Bond Program forms part of Amazonia Forever, the IDB Group's regional umbrella initiative for conservation and sustainable development in the Amazon. The program benefits from strong international collaboration and donor support. Spain, Germany, and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) were instrumental in shaping the Amazonia Bond Issuance Guidelines, ensuring that the framework meets global best practices in sustainability-linked finance.

In July 2025, the IDB and the World Bank formalized their strategic partnership to help countries and institutions design and launch similar Amazonia Bond Programs, positioning the IDB as the first development institution to operationalize the model.

A Blueprint for the Future of Green Finance

The Amazonia Bond Program represents a transformative model for aligning global financial markets with planetary health. By connecting private capital to public-good outcomes, the IDB is redefining how sustainable finance can address urgent environmental challenges.

Beyond its immediate environmental and economic benefits, the program aims to strengthen climate governance, forest protection, and inclusive development, setting a global precedent for how multilateral institutions can facilitate a just and sustainable transition.

With the inaugural bond now successfully placed, the IDB's vision is clear: to create a replicable, scalable financial mechanism that safeguards the Amazon—an irreplaceable source of biodiversity, climate stability, and cultural heritage—for generations to come.