This report explores green bonds and other finance instruments for climate-resilient infrastructure and investment opportunities that can support Thailand in achieving a low carbon economy. In this report, the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) consulted with experts in partnership with ADB, the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility, and Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission and Public Debt Management Office under the Ministry of Finance. It is part of a series for various countries developed by CBI to promote green financing among various stakeholders and development partners in the public and private sectors, including project owners and developers, institutional investors, asset managers, financial institutions, government bodies, and international organizations.

Thailand has adopted ambitious clean energy targets to meet its long-term climate goals, committing to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2065. Transforming Thailand’s energy system, alongside broader development objectives, is critical to meeting these goals as the energy sector accounts for 69% of Thailand’s total GHG emissions. The Clean Energy Finance and Investment Roadmap of Thailand (“the Roadmap”) outlines key actions to unlock finance and investment in two clean energy sectors: (i) renewable power, with special attention to small-scale renewable power systems; and (ii) energy efficiency in buildings, with a focus on cooling applications. The two sectors were selected in close consultation with the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE) of the Ministry of Energy of Thailand. The Roadmap provides a comprehensive overview of the progress to date, policy context and challenges to mobilise near-term finance in those sectors, as well as estimates of the finance needs to reach Thailand’s clean energy plans. The report also includes a roadmap action plan, suggesting non-prescriptive recommendations and actions that the Government of Thailand, financial institutions, energy service companies, academia and the international development community active in the country could undertake to foster clean energy investments in Thailand.

The report estimated that ...

A large financing need challenges climate-adjusted infrastructure in developing Asia, estimated at $26 trillion till 2030. This necessitates crowding-in private sources to meet financing, efficiency, and technology gaps. However, a lack of bankable projects is a major hurdle. This publication suggests one possible innovative financing approach. The Green Finance Catalyzing Facility (GFCF) proposes a blended finance framework for governments and development entities to better leverage development funds for risk mitigation, generate a pipeline of bankable green infrastructure projects, and directly catalyze private finance. The GFCF provides useful inputs for the current debate on mainstreaming green finance into country financial systems.

This report provides an update on the local currency sustainable bond markets in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN+3). Historically, green bonds have dominated the sustainable debt market in ASEAN+3, but the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has spawned the next generation of social- and sustainability-labeled instruments to fund a broader range of environmental and social benefits. This report provides a comprehensive summary of regional developments, identifies existing obstacles and challenges, highlights green investment opportunities in key sectors, and offers practical recommendations to further develop sustainable local currency bond markets in ASEAN+3.

Infrastructure is essential for development. This report presents a snapshot of the current condition of developing Asia's infrastructure---defined here as transport, power, telecommunications, and water supply and sanitation. It examines how much the region has been investing in infrastructure and what will likely be needed through 2030. Finally, it analyzes the financial and institutional challenges that will shape future infrastructure investment and development.