Asiamoney New Silk Road Finance Awards

Laos is small, landlocked and one of the poorest countries in southeast Asia. But a colossal infrastructure project, which will connect China to Singapore through Vientiane, the country’s sleepy capital, could have a dramatic impact.

In southeast Asia, where economic growth varies widely from country to country, infrastructure development is especially uneven. The need for roads, railways and sustainable energy to support growth and investment is undeniable, with current services in some countries crumbling under the pressure.

Thailand is still considered one of southeast Asia’s longer-term success stories, despite a slowdown in economic growth and concerns over political stability in recent years.

With over 150 years of experience in southeast Asia, more than 400 branches and 25,000 employees in the region and a strong presence in all of the Asean countries, Standard Chartered, whose corporate and investment bank is run by Simon Cooper, is Asiamoney’s pick for best international bank for Belt and Road in southeast Asia.

With over 150 years of experience in southeast Asia, more than 400 branches and 25,000 employees in the region and a strong presence in all of the Asean countries, Standard Chartered, whose corporate and investment bank is run by Simon Cooper, is Asiamoney’s pick for best international bank for Belt and Road in southeast Asia.

ICBC’s collaboration with banks and institutions in southeast Asia makes it the standout as Asiamoney’s best Chinese bank in southeast Asia for this year’s New Silk Road Finance Awards.

Singapore-based southeast Asian heavyweight, DBS, easily makes the grade for best regional bank in Asiamoney’s inaugural New Silk Road Finance Awards.

Habib Bank (HBL) was quick to see the potential in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It was mandated as an account bank on a host of early BRI projects, helping to finance and develop the deep-water port at Gwadar, as well as the $1.3 billion, two-stage development of the Karakoram Highway between China and Pakistan, and a clutch of highways, power plants, hydropower facilities and wind farms.

The speed with which China’s Belt and Road Initiative has redrawn the trade map, not just in Asia but globally, is astonishing. Any infrastructure project rolled out in a nominated belt-and-road country can now be considered a BRI project. When it comes to infrastructure finance in south Asia, it’s hard to beat HSBC.