Standard Bank has launched its first social documentary credit facility, providing Helios Towers with a $29m trade finance solution structured under the Loan Market Association’s social loan principles.
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The facility is Standard Bank’s first documentary credit facility structured under the Loan Market Association social loan principles, marking a milestone in combining traditional trade finance with measurable social impact.
Social finance aligns commercial funding with measurable social outcomes, supporting inclusive growth and essential infrastructure development.
The facility will finance the procurement and importation of telecommunications infrastructure and related services across Africa, supporting Helios Towers’ expansion and extending digital connectivity to underserved remote communities.
“This transaction demonstrates Standard Bank’s ability to deliver tailored trade finance solutions that promote telecommunications infrastructure development and digital inclusion across the African continent. It reflects our role in partnering Huawei Technologies in tackling the digital divide through connecting the unconnected,” adds Noloyiso Mpanza, Executive Lead: Sustainable Finance, Transaction Banking at Standard Bank CIB.
Trade finance innovation
“This transaction demonstrates the power of innovation in trade finance. By combining a first-to-market social documentary credit facility with a cross-border funding solution, Standard Bank has supported Helios Towers’ growth ambitions while helping extend digital connectivity to underserved communities across Africa.
“It is a powerful example of how finance can drive both commercial success and positive social impact,” says Benoit Samouilhan, Global Transaction Banker: Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB).
And Alex Carter, Group Finance Director: Helios Towers, adds “Reliable digital infrastructure is fundamental to Africa’s future growth and development. This facility provides us with the flexibility and certainty needed to support ongoing infrastructure investments while advancing our mission of expanding connectivity across the continent.”