LONDON, February 24, 2026—The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), home of the World Bank Group Guarantee Platform, has issued two guarantees to unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in new lending in Ghana and Zambia.
Both three-year guarantees cover the risk of expropriation of reserves held by Standard Chartered’s subsidiaries at the countries’ central banks. Reducing the risk-weights of the central bank reserves will generate headroom for additional lending, principally for trade finance and corporate finance.
The guarantee for Ghana is $70 million, which will free up to $307.6 million in new loans. For Zambia, a $38 million guarantee will free up to $109.6 million in additional lending.
At a ceremony today in London to mark the signings, Ariane Di lorio, Director and Global Head of the Financial Institutions Group at MIGA, said, "MIGA’s guarantees to Standard Chartered will significantly expand access to finance in Ghana and Zambia. The additional lending they create will support bank resilience during a time of still-challenging market conditions in the two countries and enable greater private sector participation in growth.”
The two guarantees come at a time when both Ghana and Zambia continue to recover from macroeconomic crises and sovereign debt restructurings.
Faruq Muhammad, Global Head, Development & Agency Finance, Standard Chartered, said: “Through the use of credit insurance structures, we’re able to unlock new lending capacity across Ghana and Zambia – this approach allows us to redeploy capital efficiently into high-impact projects, supporting local business growth without the need for additional capital outlay. This helps us drive long-term value creation for the communities we serve.”
About Standard Chartered
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 54 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.
For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
About the World Bank Group Guarantee Platform
Initiated in 2024, the World Bank Group Guarantee Platform consolidates guarantee products and experts from across the World Bank Group at MIGA. It provides a simplified and comprehensive menu of guarantee solutions, enabling clients to select the instrument that best suits their needs. The platform streamlines processes, removes redundancies, and provides greater accessibility by de-risking investments in developing countries. Its goal is to boost the World Bank Group’s annual guarantee issuance to $20 billion by 2030.
For more information about the guarantee platform, please visit: https://www.worldbank.org/wbgguarantees
Stay updated and follow us at https://x.com/MIGA and https://www.linkedin.com/company/wb-miga
Contact: In Washington: Elizabeth Howton, ehowton [at] worldbankgroup.org
LONDON, February 24, 2026—The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), home of the World Bank Group Guarantee Platform, has issued two guarantees to unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in new lending in Ghana and Zambia.
Both three-year guarantees cover the risk of expropriation of reserves held by Standard Chartered’s subsidiaries at the countries’ central banks. Reducing the risk-weights of the central bank reserves will generate headroom for additional lending, principally for trade finance and corporate finance.
The guarantee for Ghana is $70 million, which will free up to $307.6 million in new loans. For Zambia, a $38 million guarantee will free up to $109.6 million in additional lending.
At a ceremony today in London to mark the signings, Ariane Di lorio, Director and Global Head of the Financial Institutions Group at MIGA, said, "MIGA’s guarantees to Standard Chartered will significantly expand access to finance in Ghana and Zambia. The additional lending they create will support bank resilience during a time of still-challenging market conditions in the two countries and enable greater private sector participation in growth.”
The two guarantees come at a time when both Ghana and Zambia continue to recover from macroeconomic crises and sovereign debt restructurings.
Faruq Muhammad, Global Head, Development & Agency Finance, Standard Chartered, said: “Through the use of credit insurance structures, we’re able to unlock new lending capacity across Ghana and Zambia – this approach allows us to redeploy capital efficiently into high-impact projects, supporting local business growth without the need for additional capital outlay. This helps us drive long-term value creation for the communities we serve.”
About Standard Chartered
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 54 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.
For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
About the World Bank Group Guarantee Platform
Initiated in 2024, the World Bank Group Guarantee Platform consolidates guarantee products and experts from across the World Bank Group at MIGA. It provides a simplified and comprehensive menu of guarantee solutions, enabling clients to select the instrument that best suits their needs. The platform streamlines processes, removes redundancies, and provides greater accessibility by de-risking investments in developing countries. Its goal is to boost the World Bank Group’s annual guarantee issuance to $20 billion by 2030.
For more information about the guarantee platform, please visit: https://www.worldbank.org/wbgguarantees
Stay updated and follow us at https://x.com/MIGA and https://www.linkedin.com/company/wb-miga
Contact: In Washington: Elizabeth Howton, ehowton [at] worldbankgroup.org