Chunghwa Telecom first to issue sustainability bond among Taiwan telcos

Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. issued the Sustainability Bond (“SB”) and hosted a listing ceremony at the Taipei Exchange office building. The SB is the first sustainable bond issued by Taiwan telcos, making the Company among front runners that issued sustainable bonds in global telecom sector.

The SB issue amount has a maturity of 5 years and coupon rate fixed at 0.69% with a face value of NT$3.5 billion. The raise from the initial planning of NT$3.0 billion to NT$3.5 billion is due to enthusiastic investor subscription, making the bond as the largest SB in the domestic non-manufacturing sector. In addition, the SB is priced at a relatively lower interest rate, despite of headwinds of rising interest rates around the world, representing high market support and recognition.

Chunghwa continues to promote the sustainable development of enterprises with numerous projects focused on environmental sustainability and social responsibility. The Company is the first domestic telecom operator in Taiwan to obtain both ISO 14067 and ISO 14046 environment management certifications and the first domestic telecom operator to institute sustainable supply chain management. In regards to social responsibility, Chunghwa continues to focus its investment on telecom service access to close the digital divide and create digital opportunities, while supporting government initiatives to protect its citizens’ fundamental rights to communications. In particular, last year, the Company quickly established the pandemic prevention team to confront the sudden COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan and developed the “QR code for real-name registration system” and the “Quarantine monitoring system.” In the meantime, Chunghwa provided high-quality broadband connection with fixed, mobile and Wi-Fi services to help its users safely navigate the pandemic period.

To pursue its Sustainable Development vision of Environment, Ecology, Economy and Socialization, all funds raised from the SB will be used exclusively to green and social projects. The Company aims to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals through the integration of business operations and finance plans, such as sustainable bonds.

Note: Sustainable bonds is categorized into green bonds, social bonds and sustainability bonds according to the use of proceeds. Sustainability bond is issued and the proceeds are used exclusively for green and social projects.

CT Bureau