Russia is a founding member and shareholder of the Beijing-based lender, holding a 6.7 per cent stake
China is the biggest member, with a 30 per cent holding in the AIIB, which is seen as a potential rival to the World Bank

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has suspended all current and pending business relating to Russia and Belarus following the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine.

The decision by the development bank threatens to strain ties between China and Russia, which are close trading partners but whose relationship has come under scrutiny following Vladimir Putin’s military operation in Ukraine. China is the bank’s largest shareholder.

The Beijing-based bank on Thursday said it would “safeguard its financial integrity” and assess the impact of the Ukraine war on its operations and members’ economies.

AIIB was founded with an official stance of political neutrality. However, its move to freeze lending to Russia and Belarus demonstrates the growing pressure on global financial institutions to cut ties with Russian projects and individuals over the war in Ukraine.

New Development Bank, a Shanghai-based lender in Asia with much higher exposure to Russia, also announced on Thursday that it had put new transactions in Russia on hold in light of the Ukraine conflict.

This week China signalled it was ready to play a role in securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, adding that it “deplored” the outbreak of conflict in its strongest comments yet on the war. It is the largest shareholder in AIIB, with voting rights worth 26.5 per cent.

“We the management will do our utmost to safeguard the financial integrity of AIIB, against the backdrop of the evolving economic and financial situation,” the bank’s statement said.

Russia is the third-largest shareholder in AIIB after China and India, and in October AIIB announced it would be holding its seventh annual meeting in the country. About 3 per cent of its total loan portfolio is in Russia.

AIIB made its first investment in Russia in 2019 with a $500mn loan to fund a transport and infrastructure project. Last year, it approved a €116mn project to fund improvements to Belarus’s healthcare system. However, the decision was criticised by NGOs in the country due to a political crisis under the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. The president allowed Belarus to be used as one of Russia’s launching pads for the invasion of Ukraine.

Alongside contributions from its members, AIIB — which has $100bn of capital stock — has raised cash through the bond market and has four bonds outstanding denominated in roubles that have all collapsed in value. The bank’s bond maturing in 2025 dropped from more than 80 cents on the dollar two weeks ago to under 50 cents on Thursday.

Nonetheless, analysts at S&P Global Ratings said they did not expect Russia’s war with Ukraine to impair AIIB. “It’s a very small exposure that AIIB has [to Russia],” said Alexis Smith Juvelis, an analyst with S&P. “The relative impact that this could have on capital or being able to fulfil their mandate is not as meaningful given AIIB has a more global approach.”

When the bank formally began operations in 2016, it was generally viewed as a complementary financing arm for President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure development strategy. Its senior leadership includes Danny Alexander, former chief secretary to the UK Treasury.

The AIIB attracted criticism when it said it would continue funding projects in Myanmar after the military junta last year overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s administration and cracked down on protesters. The World Bank and Asian Development Fund both suspended financing to Myanmar following the coup.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-led-asian-infrastructure-investment-bank-freezes-russia-lending-2022-03-03/

https://amp.ft.com/content/5cdc910e-7a8a-4a3b-8c37-b831a0699cfb

https://www.asiafinancial.com/beijing-backed-banks-put-russia-belarus-lending-on-hold/amp

Chinese are never loyal allies

Na Wetin west take pass them

So long as this economic war continues Putin risks an uprising in Russia by his own people

Russians may start doing Bambiala on the streets to survive should this war continues

Chei

To any one who doesn't understand

Read this slowly

Imagine if the US had only military power without commensurate economic muscles, this is how they too would be played. A lot of lessons here for the discerning mind.

Even china is scared of sanctions!

Lol.... everyone fears sanctions....

If you Google the 5 biggest trade partners of China by amount

You will discover where their loyalty is.