UBA Group and BII Sign Letter of Intent to Explore Trade Finance Collaboration across Africa

The collaboration between United Bank for Africa (UBA) and British International Investment (BII) represents a significant shift in how trade finance infrastructure is being deployed across the African continent. This partnership signals growing confidence from UK institutional investors in Africa's cross-border trade potential, while simultaneously creating new pathways for European businesses seeking to expand their operations throughout the region. UBA, operating across 20+ African countries with a substantial presence in West Africa, has positioned itself as a critical financial infrastructure player for intra-African commerce. The bank manages over $40 billion in assets and maintains one of the continent's most extensive correspondent banking networks. BII, formerly the Commonwealth Development Corporation, brings £37 billion in assets under management and represents the UK government's commitment to development finance across emerging markets. This pairing combines local market knowledge with sophisticated international capital deployment mechanisms. The trade finance gap in Africa remains substantial. The African Development Bank estimates that the continent faces a $100+ billion annual shortfall in trade finance capacity. Many African businesses struggle to access working capital for import-export operations, creating bottlenecks that prevent small and medium enterprises from participating in cross-border value chains. European exporters frequently encounter these constraints when attempting to