Standard Chartered Launches Inaugural Belt & Road Relay

Standard Chartered Bank today (31th January) announced the launch of the Standard Chartered Belt & Road Relay, the first-ever global running event spanning the Belt and Road initiative, according to finews.asia.

Standard Chartered Bank, famous for its annual marathon events, will kick off the Belt & Road Relay next month to mark its continued commitment to the Belt and Road initiative.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is the most ambitious and far-reaching project of its kind in the world today. We are present in two-thirds of Belt and Road markets, and our rich heritage, deep local knowledge and unparalleled connectivity mean that we’re ideally placed to help our partners, clients and communities to make the most out of the initiative," said Bill Winters, group chief executive of Standard Chartered, in a statement.

LOCAL ENGAGEMENT

The relay will kick off in Hong Kong on 17 February and end in China on 11 May. Eight staff athletes across the bank's footprint will participate in running events across 44 Belt and Road markets within a 90-day period.

"By traversing these markets on foot and engaging local clients, governments, media and communities, our Standard Chartered Belt & Road Relay athletes will showcase our commitment to be the One Bank for the Belt and Road." Winters added.

In 2017, the Bank committed additional financing for Belt and Road projects of at least US$20 billion by 2020, and was involved in more than 50 Belt and Road deals worth more than US$10 billion across a range of products and services.