Swedish pension company KPA Pension has invested SEK 394m in a bond that aims to increase knowledge about road safety in developing countries.

The World Bank is the issuer of the first bond if its kind which, among other things, aims to finance sustainable projects in developing countries with a focus on road safety.

Folksamgruppen, which includes KPA Pension, is the bond’s sole investor.

The bond also aims to contribute to projects in emergency medical care and rehabilitation services for care after traffic accidents.

The UN is aiming to halve the number of young people that die or are injured in preventable road accidents by 2030.

To reach that goal, the World Bank estimated that around USD 260bn in funding was needed, leading to the issuing of the bond.

“People in developing countries today have to pay the highest price as a consequence of a lack of road safety, integrating road safety into all relevant activities of the World Bank will have a big positive impact,” commented World Bank vice president and treasurer, Jorge Familiar.

“We are grateful that Folksamgruppen supports our activities and highlights road safety as a priority development area.”

KPA Pension CEO, Camilla Larsson, added: “We at KPA Pension are happy that the World Bank makes this type of investment possible.

“That municipal and regional employees' pension money can contribute to road safety-enhancing projects that save lives at the same time as providing a secure pension goes hand in hand with our vision that our customers should feel secure in a sustainable world.”

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