The term 'green loan' has become increasingly
omnipresent in economic and market discourse. What is a
'green loan' and what distinguishes it from your
typical 'loan'?
Traditionally, a 'loan' is identifiable as such if
the instrument in question satisfies three basic financial and
legal criteria, namely that the instrument prescribes a specific
purpose for which the funds advanced may be utilised; the
instrument is for a specific term, upon the lapse of which the
funds advanced must be repaid; and, lastly, the instrument
attributes a financial cost to the whole affair, typically by way
of charging interest, whether fixed, variable, or a combination of
the two. Naturally, whilst these criteria describe a typical plain
vanilla loan, it is possible to structure a more complex loan, with
more onerous or complex terms and conditions.