DFCC Bank won the 2026 Environmental Finance Sustainable Debt Award for innovation in green bond use, recognizing its DFCC Blue Bond 2025, Sri Lanka’s first listed blue bond.
The award places a Sri Lankan capital market transaction on the global stage, recognizing an approach that directs funding towards water and marine-related priorities through a structured framework with measurable outcomes. The DFCC Blue Bond raised three billion rupees to support the blue economy and was listed locally on the Colombo Stock Exchange and internationally across multiple exchanges.
Proceeds from the bond are allocated across defined categories, including marine pollution prevention, ecosystem conservation, coastal climate adaptation, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, clean water infrastructure, marine renewable energy, and low-carbon transport.
The framework links financing to measurable indicators such as emissions reduced, wastewater treated, ecosystems restored, and improved access to clean water. The transaction is significant not only for introducing a new asset class to Sri Lanka’s capital markets but also for addressing a longstanding gap in financing for blue economy sectors.
As an island nation, Sri Lanka’s economic and environmental stability is closely tied to its coastal and marine ecosystems, yet investment in these areas has historically been limited.
Thimal Perera, Director/CEO, DFCC Bank, said: “The DFCC Blue Bond reflects our intent to move beyond traditional financing and help shape how capital is directed towards the areas that matter most for Sri Lanka’s future. For an island economy, investment in water, coastal, and marine ecosystems is fundamental to long-term sustainability and growth. As Sri Lanka’s first listed blue bond, with listings across both domestic and international exchanges, it was designed to establish a credible and scalable framework for the market. This recognition reinforces the role that disciplined, transparent financing can play in setting new benchmarks for emerging economies.”
