Sustainable and increasingly in-demand: The Green Promissory Note:

ZH believes that we are in the early days of a second industrial revolution, to be more specific, a green industrial revolution.

We anticipate that trillions of dollars will flow yearly into green technologies and sustainable projects. This flow of capital will be accomplished in large part by the Rise of Green Investments.

ZH structured financing offering provides capital for sustainable projects or solutions which utilize a sustainable technology and/or business practices. Important infrastructure projects are also of interest.

Sustainable and increasingly in-demand: The green promissory note:

By using green promissory note loans, SMEs are attracting attention from green investors.

This requires a little courage and clever ideas.

There is immense demand for green investments, and investors are looking for sustainable ways to invest money.

This is precisely what makes a company so attractive.

Green promissory note loans (SSDs) enable the company to come into contact with investors who may not be aware of many SMEs.

Expenses relating to this are low, because, formally, promissory notes are loans.

While bonds are only profitable from volumes of EUR 500m, promissory note loans are marketed from a minimum volume of EUR 20m.

And there are also no reporting requirements, as business data is only submitted to interested investors, who are pre-selected by the bank in charge.

For example, our banking partner may speak to more than 600 potential investors in Germany and abroad.

However, anyone who accepts a green bond rather than a classic one must convincingly demonstrate that the money is actually being used to promote sustainable projects.

For this, an expert opinion is normally obtained from an external agency. Saving energy is considered green, as is reducing CO2 emissions. Digitalization projects can also prove to be sustainable if they help to save resources, for example.

Legally binding standards that define what is truly green are currently being prepared. Guidelines have been established for the transitional period, and companies and the banks providing support must adhere to them.

These guidelines are based on the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) Green Bond Principles. They discuss the ways in which revenue may be used and how the reporting should be.

One of the ICMA standards is to have an independent agency examine the project. This agency certifies the promissory note loan as sustainable and thus confirms that the investments actually benefit the environment.