Standard Chartered has arranged a syndicated bank guarantee exceeding USD 300 million for Envision Group, aimed at supporting the company’s international sales and supply of wind power equipment. The deal is described as the world’s first sustainable trade finance transaction structured with a second-party opinion that aligns with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Principles for Sustainable Trade and Trade Finance.
The ICC introduced its Principles for Sustainable Trade and Trade Finance in October 2024 to provide a standardized framework for evaluating sustainability in trade finance. These principles are designed to address concerns about greenwashing by offering clear guidelines and definitions, enabling banks, corporations, and investors to direct capital more effectively toward sustainable projects.
Standard Chartered adopted these ICC Principles in February 2025, becoming the first international bank to do so. The current arrangement extends these principles among participating banks across different regions.
The syndicated guarantee was reviewed by Lianhe Equator, which issued a second-party opinion confirming compliance with both the ICC’s sustainability standards and the Green Loan Principles set out by the Loan Market Association (LMA).
Jean Lu, CEO of Standard Chartered China and Executive Vice Chair of the China Board, said: “We’re pleased to close this syndicated bank guarantee for Envision Group, which marks the world’s first sustainable trade finance deal aligned with the ICC Principles. This transaction reflects our commitment to supporting the development of renewable energy, and underscores our expertise across sustainable cross-border trade. We will continue to act in line with the ICC Principles, to scale sustainable trade finance solutions for our clients and across our markets.”
Zhou Hongwen, Founding Partner and Executive Director of Envision Energy stated: “It is a great pleasure to cooperate with more than ten financial institutions from different countries and regions around the world, which is a milestone of the deep integration of green finance and green technology. We’re expanding our renewable energy business in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and other regions. The widespread support and recognition of global financial institutions will help us promote our strategic layout of green and low-carbon transformation, accelerating the realisation of global green prosperity.”
Liu Jingyun, Executive President and General Manager of Green Finance Business Department at Lianhe Equator added: “We are honoured to provide evaluation and certification services for this green trade financing. As an important partner of Standard Chartered in the field of sustainable finance, Lianhe Equator has provided consulting and evaluation services for multiple sustainable financing businesses. In the future, we hope to leverage our expertise in sustainable financing, energy conservation and environmental protection, carbon certification and consulting, to provide more independent, objective, and valuable evaluation and certification services, and promote the high-quality development of sustainable finance.”
Envision Group focuses on technologies such as smart wind turbines, energy storage systems, and green hydrogen solutions as part of its efforts toward decarbonization worldwide. In January 2025 Standard Chartered China signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Envision Group aimed at deepening their strategic partnership internationally.