ICBC marks 30 years supporting China-UK partnership

Promoting cross-border RMB business

Drawing on London's strengths as a hub for international banking and capital markets, ICBC has played an active role in promoting the cross-border RMB business. In November 2025, ICBC acted as a joint lead underwriter for Barclays Bank's 2-billion-yuan ($287.9 million) Panda Bond issuance, the first such issuance by a UK-based issuer.

This momentum continued in January, when ICBC served as the lead underwriter for Barclays Bank's 3.5-billion-yuan Panda Bond issuance — the first Panda Bond transaction by a financial institution in 2026. These transactions underscore London's expanding role in offshore renminbi activity and ICBC's contribution to strengthening financial connectivity between China and the UK.

Championing green finance

Green finance has become a core pillar of ICBC's UK operations, aligning with London's leadership in sustainable finance. The bank's total financing commitments in the renewable energy sector have reached $1 billion, including $117 million in financing for one of the UK's most significant wind farm projects, supporting the country's energy transition.

In 2021, the UK institutions issued the first carbon-neutrality-themed sterling green bond by a Chinese bank, marking a milestone in green capital markets. Over the past three years, the UK institutions have issued nearly 1 billion euros ($1.19 billion) in carbon-neutrality-themed bonds.

By the end of 2025, ICBC's green bonds listed on London Stock Exchange, across six currencies, had cumulatively exceeded $9.2 billion, making ICBC the largest Chinese issuer of LSE-listed green bonds and underscoring London's pivotal role in facilitating sustainable finance cooperation.

Commodity markets expertise backed by a gold vault

ICBC Standard Bank is the international investment banking and markets arm of ICBC. With more than two decades of experience in physical commodities, it is the only Chinese bank to own and operate a commercial precious metals vault outside China, the largest of its kind in Europe. Based in London, ICBC Standard Bank conducts gold trading with a notional value of over $500 billion per year, demonstrating its scale and market leadership.