Handelsbanken's green bonds
Long-term sustainable solutions
Handelsbanken aims to be a responsible player in the financial sector and to support a sustainable banking industry. By issuing green bonds and financing projects that support the transition away from fossil fuels, the Bank supports the development of long-term sustainable solutions.
Handelsbanken established its first Green Bond Framework in 2018. In 2022, the framework was updated to include covered green bonds and to partly align with the EU Taxonomy's technical screening criteria for climate change mitigation. To further speed up the transition and stay relevant, the framework was updated again in 2025.
The updated 2025 Framework is based on the Green Bond Principles 2025, developed by the International Capital Market Association (ICMA), and has been further adjusted to better meet the criteria of the EU Taxonomy. The framework explains the process and criteria for how Handelsbanken can issue green bonds.
An independent review of Handelsbanken's Green Bond Framework has been carried out by Morningstar Sustainalytics. Morningstar Sustainalytics believes that the Framework follows ICMA's Green Bond Principles and that the projects Handelsbanken will finance under the framework make a strong contribution to society. "Strong contribution" is the highest rating.
The Bank reports the environmental impact of its green bonds every year by publishing a Green Bond Impact Report. This report also includes examples of how approved green projects meet the criteria in the framework.
In October 2026, Stadshypotek published a Factsheet for the issuance of European Green Bonds (EuGBs). The Factsheet enables Stadshypotek to issue European Green Bonds and supports the Group's work on sustainable financing by contributing to the financing of activities aligned with the Category 7.7 of the EU Taxonomy. The Factsheet has been independently reviewed by S&P Global Ratings, which assigned a Medium Green Shade. The review covers the Factsheet's alignment with the European Green Bond Standard as well as the Green Bond Principles published by the International Capital Market Association (ICMA).
According to S&P Global's assessment, the eligibility criteria and governance processes support the financing of buildings with strong energy performance and the consideration of physical climate risks.