GuocoLand secures $515 million green loan from OCBC, DBS and ICBC Singapore

 GuocoLand Limited (GuocoLand), through its indirect subsidiaries MTG Apartments Pte Ltd and MTG Retail Pte Ltd, secured a $515 million (SGD 730 million) green club loan from OCBC Bank, DBS Bank and ICBC Singapore Branch for the construction of a new luxury residential cum commercial development at Tan Quee Lan Street. The development is a joint venture between GuocoLand and two subsidiaries of Hong Leong Holdings – Intrepid Investments Pte. Ltd. and Hong Realty (Private) Limited.

This is GuocoLand’s first green loan and the industry’s largest green loan for a development project in Singapore to date. Proceeds from the loan will go towards financing the project, including the efforts in sustainable development, water and energy conservation as well as adoption of immersive urban greenery and landscaping. 

GuocoLand, together with OCBC Bank acting as the sole green financing advisor, developed a Green Loan Framework that provides guidance for the evaluation of the new residential cum commercial development’s eligibility as a green project based on its sustainability objectives, as well as the management of the loan proceeds. 

The Green Loan Framework has been structured in accordance with the Green Loan Principles issued in 2018 by the Loan Market Association and Asia Pacific Loan Market Association. DBS Bank and OCBC Bank are joint green coordinators and, together with ICBC Singapore Branch, are mandated lead arrangers.

GuocoLand has long championed environmental best practices in the built environment. The green loan reinforces GuocoLand’s continued commitment to sustainable development with the Tan Quee Lan Street site expanding its portfolio of environmentally friendly developments in Singapore. 

Cheng Hsing Yao, the group managing director of GuocoLand Singapore, said, “Climate change is one of the biggest challenge of our times. Our developments are always conceived, developed and managed with sustainability principles as the foundation. We were one of the first real estate developers to receive the BCA Green Mark Platinum award, and Guoco Tower was one of the earliest integrated developments in Singapore to receive both Green Mark Platinum and LEED Platinum certifications.” 

“Our latest projects, Guoco Midtown and Midtown Bay, have been awarded the BCA Green Mark Platinum award this year and we are proud to continue developing buildings that are grounded on sustainability principles in the future, including this new development at Tan Quee Lan Street,” Cheng added. 

The new 30-storey residential cum commercial development at Tan Quee Lan Street will be located right above the Bugis mass rapid transit (MRT) interchange station. It will have two residential towers with more than 500 units of luxury apartments as well as a retail podium with food and beverage establishments open to the public. The joint venture was awarded the tender for the 124,116 square feet land plot in September 2019 with their bid of $565 million (SGD 800.2 million). 

The development at Tan Quee Lan Street is expected to meet the criteria to receive Green Mark GoldPLUS certification by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA). 

Cheng added, “We are grateful for the strong backing of OCBC and DBS, who have been loyal partners to us for many years. At the same time, we are pleased to have ICBC join us for the first time in a development project in Singapore, and in what is also their first green loan in Singapore.” 

Elaine Lam, the head of global corporate banking at OCBC Bank, said, “We are pleased to be the sole green financing advisor to our long-time customer GuocoLand on their maiden green loan. Green financing has really taken off in Singapore since late 2018 and a majority of the funds have been channelled into greening the property sector. Having an industry leader like GuocoLand come in to keep this momentum going is crucial. For OCBC, we are committed to creating sustainable value for the community we operate in and to maintaining a sustainable environment for future generations. We will continue to work towards our goal of a %7.06 billion (SGD 10 billion) sustainable finance portfolio by 2022.”

Chew Chong Lim, the managing director and global head of real estate, institutional banking group at DBS Bank, said, “GuocoLand’s first green loan and the largest for a development project is a significant milestone for the real estate industry that is seeing an increasing number of companies incorporating sustainability practices into their corporate strategies and building management. Responsible banking is one of the key tenets of DBS’ sustainability commitment and we want to support more companies like GuocoLand that are making positive environmental impact even in these challenging times to advance sustainable business practices.”

ICBC Singapore Branch deputy general manager Geng Hao said, “As part of ICBC's consistent green strategy, we are very pleased to accompany GuocoLand on its sustainable journey for its largest green loan for a development project in Singapore. We have social and environmental commitments to provide financial support to GuocoLand and more companies in their green transformation and make new contributions to sustainable development in Singapore.” 

Guoco Midtown, GuocoLand’s latest integrated development at the Bugis-Beach Road district, was recently awarded the BCA Green Mark Platinum award for both its commercial component and its residential component, the 219-unit Midtown Bay that was launched in October 2019. 

Guoco Midtown is GuocoLand’s second integrated development following Guoco Tower, its flagship development at Tanjong Pagar and Singapore’s tallest building with the 181-unit Wallich Residence at the apex. Guoco Tower received two of the highest achievable certifications in the industry – the Green Mark Platinum award by BCA and the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Platinum certification label by the US Green Building Council. LEED certification is a globally recognised symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership. 

Re-disseminated by The Wealth and Society