Danish pension provider, Sampension, has invested DKK 300m (€40m) in green bonds from Ireland and Germany.

The bonds were issued by German development bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau and Irish Sovereign Green Bonds, issued by the Irish state. Sampension said both bonds were purchased for roughly equal amounts.

The bonds expands the portfolios of Sampension Liv, the Architects’ Pension Fund, the Pension Fund for Agricultural Academics and Veterinarians and the ISP. Sampension also has investments of around DKK 4.7bn in forests and DKK 2bn in renewable and green forms of energy.

Commenting, Sampension vice investment director, Jesper Nørgaard, said that when a green or sustainable investment yields the same or higher interest rate as other bonds with the same risk, “we will of course invest in it”.

Sampension expects that green bonds will play a greater role in its portfolio over the coming years.

In Germany, the government recently presented a plan to set aside up to DKK 375bn for a government investment fund, which will boost growth and green initiatives. Last summer, the Netherlands government issued green bonds for DKK 45bn.

Sampension said that the idea of issuing green Danish government bonds has been debated several times, and it may happen in 2020. In addition, it said the European Union is looking into common rules for green bonds, such as how to measure and assess the effect of them.

Nørgaard said the market for both green, social and sustainable bonds is still limited. However, Sampension believes it will grow due to the political attention it is currently being given.

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