Standard Chartered and AIIB Partner to Mobilise Trade Finance for Infrastructure Equipment and Capital Goods

Standard Chartered and AIIB Partner to Mobilise Trade Finance for Infrastructure Equipment and Capital Goods

(IN BRIEF) The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Standard Chartered have signed a USD100 million agreement under AIIB’s trade facilitation initiative to support infrastructure-related trade flows into emerging and frontier markets. The facility will help finance the import of infrastructure equipment and related capital goods into AIIB member countries, while mobilising private capital and improving access to longer-term trade finance. Using AIIB’s unfunded risk-participation and credit-guarantee instruments, the partnership aims to address trade-finance gaps linked to macroeconomic volatility, supply-chain disruption and limited access to capital in developing markets. The agreement is AIIB’s first partnership under the initiative and combines Standard Chartered’s emerging-market network and trade finance expertise with AIIB’s sustainable infrastructure mandate.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 5-Jun-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Standard Chartered and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have signed a USD100 million agreement to support infrastructure-related trade flows into emerging and frontier markets through AIIB’s trade facilitation initiative.

The facility is designed to support the import of infrastructure equipment and related capital goods into AIIB member countries. By mobilising additional private capital and expanding access to longer-term trade finance, the agreement aims to help address financing constraints that can slow infrastructure development in markets where access to capital remains limited.

The partnership will use AIIB’s unfunded risk-participation and credit-guarantee instruments to support trade finance for infrastructure-related goods and equipment. These tools are intended to help reduce persistent trade-finance gaps, particularly at a time when macroeconomic volatility and global supply-chain disruptions continue to affect cross-border trade and investment.

Sofia Hammoucha, Global Head of Trade and Working Capital at Standard Chartered, said the agreement reflects the bank’s role as a super-connector across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. She noted that the partnership supports Standard Chartered’s commitment to channelling capital and unlocking trade flows in markets where financing is most needed.

Kim See Lim, AIIB’s Chief Investment Officer for Public Sector Region 1 and Financial Institutions and Funds Global Clients, said the initiative complements the Bank’s existing product offering and enables AIIB to finance infrastructure development across the value chain and project lifecycle. He said the partnership with Standard Chartered is built on a shared footprint and a common commitment to sustainable development, with a focus on addressing structural gaps in longer-term finance for infrastructure-related trade flows.

The agreement marks AIIB’s first partnership under its trade facilitation initiative. It combines Standard Chartered’s extensive presence across emerging markets and its trade finance expertise with AIIB’s mandate to finance sustainable infrastructure development across the full value chain, from equipment supply to project implementation.

The transaction will be implemented in line with AIIB’s Environmental and Social Framework. AIIB’s Project-affected People’s Mechanism also applies to the agreement, providing a framework for addressing concerns related to environmental and social impacts.