ISS-Corporate Named “Best Second Party Opinion Provider” for 2025
LONDON (June 19, 2025) – ISS-Corporate, a leading provider of compensation, governance, cyber risk monitoring, and sustainability offerings to help companies improve shareholder value and reduce risk, today announced it has been named “Best Second Party Opinion Provider” for 2025 in all four categories for which it was eligible by GlobalCapital, a London-based provider of insight and analysis to international capital markets. At the June 18 Bond Awards ceremony, ISS-Corporate was named winner in the categories of SSA ESG Bonds, FIG ESG Bonds, Corporate ESG Bonds, and Emerging Market ESG Bonds.
The GlobalCapital Bond Awards, now in their 18th year, are dedicated to recognizing the top-performing issuers, investment banks, investors, rating agencies, law firms and advisers in the international bond market, as chosen by a poll of market participants including issuers, investment banks, and investors.
ISS-Corporate’s Second Party Opinion (SPO) services provide corporate, governmental, and financial institution issuers with an independent assessment of their sustainable financing frameworks. To date ISS-Corporate has issued nearly 1,000 SPOs, reflecting the deep expertise of its Sustainable Finance team, which leverages robust in-house research and data solutions to craft their SPOs. Over the past several years, ISS-Corporate has provided:
The first EU Green Bond Standard pre-issuance external review for a financial institution, earlier this year;
The first SPO on a green loan financing green steel production in 2024;
The first SPO for a Sustainability-Linked Loans financing Bond in 2022;
And, in 2020, the first SPO on a sustainability-linked transaction.
Along with supporting issuers in assessing their financing frameworks, ISS-Corporate’s rigorous standards give investors the visibility they need to see how well projects align with sustainable finance best practices and market standards.
“We are deeply honored to be recognized by GlobalCapital as the leading Second Party Opinion provider across all four categories,” said Marija Kramer, Head of ISS-Corporate. “This award is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our Sustainable Finance team, and validates our commitment to providing rigorous, independent assessments that drive transparency in the sustainable finance market.”
To learn more about ISS-Corporate’s SPO offering and external review process, please click here.