Standard Chartered provides standby liquidity facility to support GuarantCo in enabling sustainable infrastructure in Africa and Asia

  • Date written
  • February, 2025

Standard Chartered, a leading international cross-border bank, and GuarantCo, part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), are proud to announce the signing of a USD 50 million standby liquidity facility. The facility will increase capacity for GuarantCo’s mission of financing the development of essential sustainable infrastructure in lower income countries in Africa and Asia.

Standard Chartered provides standby liquidity facility to support GuarantCo in enabling sustainable infrastructure in Africa and Asia

A signing ceremony at GuarantCo’s London office was attended by Frank Gosselink, Jason Murphy and Alice Bains from GuarantCo; Robert Spain from PIDG; and Saif Malik, Rodney Nyangeri, Katherine Stegar and Faye Drew from Standard Chartered.

The facility will further strengthen GuarantCo’s ability to provide innovative credit solutions and develop local capital markets for infrastructure projects that help boost economic growth, improve the quality of people’s lives, alleviate poverty and deliver against the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Standard Chartered and PIDG have a long history of collaboration across emerging markets in Africa and Asia on a broad portfolio of projects that improve access to vital resources such as renewable energy, clean water, transportation and digital connectivity.

Anneliese Dodds, the UK’s Minister for Development said:

This new agreement between Standard Chartered and UK-backed GuarantCo is a great example of UK business and government working hand-in-hand to drive investment in the Global South, unlocking growth and jobs overseas and here at home. The UK’s support to GuarantCo has helped to mobilise $5.7 billion of private investment for sustainable infrastructure projects in Africa and Asia, which have benefitted over 44 million people, and made communities less vulnerable to climate change.”

Frank Gosselink, CEO of GuarantCo, said:

Our raison d’être is to deliver impact through catalysing private investment, to accelerate climate action and deliver infrastructure, which improves lives in those markets most in need. The added firepower that this Standard Chartered facility will provide is welcome and their partnership is valued as we embark on an ambitious programme of work for the years ahead.”

Philippe Valahu, CEO of PIDG and Chair of the GuarantCo Board, said:

In 2024, as one group with multiple solutions, we brought 25 infrastructure projects worth USD 5 billion to financial close in Africa and Asia. This involved successfully unlocking private sector investment at a ratio of 4.7x, allowing us to truly move and multiply infrastructure finance. The facility provided by Standard Chartered to GuarantCo provides us the opportunity to amplify our impact even further in 2025, making this announcement an exciting start to the year.”

Saif Malik, CEO, UK and Head of Banking & Coverage, UK, Standard Chartered says:

We are delighted to deepen our support to GuarantCo in their efforts to deliver transformative infrastructure projects across Africa and Asia. This facility is a testament to our unwavering commitment to driving sustainable development and fostering economic growth in emerging markets. By providing this financial support, we aim to enable the successful execution of critical infrastructure initiatives that will have a lasting positive impact on our communities, enhance connectivity, and promote inclusive development.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Standard Chartered

We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 52 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges. For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

About GuarantCo

GuarantCo mobilises private sector local currency investment for infrastructure projects and supports the development of financial markets in lower income countries across Africa and Asia. GuarantCo is part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) and is funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia and Sweden, through the PIDG Trust, the Netherlands, through FMO and the PIDG Trust, France through a stand-by facility and Global Affairs Canada through a repayable facility. GuarantCo is rated AA- by Fitch and A1 by Moody’s. Since 2005, GuarantCo has enabled USD 6.8 billion of total investment and USD 5.7 billion of private sector investment, giving 44.7 million people access to infrastructure and creating around 243,000 jobs. GuarantCo’s activities are managed by GuarantCo Management Company which is part of Cardano Development www.guarantco.com To find out more visit: www.guarantco.com

About PIDG

The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) is an innovative infrastructure project developer and investor which mobilises private investment in sustainable and inclusive infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa and south and south-east Asia. PIDG investments promote socio-economic development within a just transition to net zero emissions, combat poverty and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). PIDG delivers its ambition in line with its values of pioneering, partnership, safety, inclusivity and urgency.

 

PIDG offers Technical Assistance for upstream, early-stage activities and concessional capital; its project development arm – InfraCo – invests in early-stage project development and project and corporate equity. PIDG credit solutions include EAAIF (the Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund), one of the first and more successful blended debt fund in low-income markets; GuarantCo, its guarantee arm that provides credit enhancement and local currency solutions to de-risk projects; and a growing portfolio of local credit enhancement facilities, which unlocks domestic institutional capital for infrastructure financing.

 

Since 2002, PIDG has supported 233 infrastructure projects to financial close, which provided an estimated 228 million people with access to new or improved infrastructure. PIDG is funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Global Affairs Canada, Germany, and the IFC. pidg.org