Toward the Adaptation of Green Bonds in the Saudi Municipal System: Challenges and Opportunities

Abdulkarim K. Alhowaish ()
Additional contact information
Abdulkarim K. Alhowaish: Department of Urban and Regional Planning, College of Architecture and Planning, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-21

Abstract: This study explores the adoption of green bonds within Saudi Arabia’s municipal sector, situated at the intersection of centralized governance, fossil fuel dependency, and ongoing sustainability reforms under Vision 2030. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this research integrates quantitative and qualitative insights from expert survey data to uncover key institutional, market, and stakeholder dimensions influencing green bond uptake. The findings reveal an emerging framework shaped by regulatory capacity, global integration, and risk perceptions. Rather than focusing solely on statistical outputs, this study highlights how governance structures, economic diversification efforts, and stakeholder alignment collectively shape the trajectory of green finance adoption. Practical implications include the need for harmonized regulatory frameworks, enhanced transparency through ESG standards, and stronger public–private collaboration. While focused on Saudi Arabia, this study offers broader lessons for green bond integration in similarly structured, resource-dependent economies.

Keywords: green bonds; Saudi Arabia; sustainable finance; Vision 2030; institutional capacity; emerging markets; ESG; municipal governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/5698/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/5698/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:13:p:5698-:d:1683880

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().