Leading Pan African bank, Ecobank  Transnational Incorporated, has opened a representative office in Beijing, China following an approval received  from China Banking Regulatory Commission in July and a business registration certificate from Beijing’s Administration for Industry & Commerce in October.

The new office is expected to strengthen the cooperation between Ecobank and the Chinese financial authorities, as well as facilitate bilateral trade and investment.

Speaking on the Beijing office opening, Group Deputy CEO and Head of Ecobank Corporate and Investment Banking, Albert Essen said: “China ’s economic engagement in Africa has developed rapidly in recent years, in line with the Chinese government’s globalization strategy. Our representative office in Beijing will strengthen the cooperation between Ecobank and the Chinese financial authorities, as well as facilitating bilateral trade and investment.”

The Beijing office which is located in the Taikang International Tower in the heart of the central business district will further strengthen the Pan African bank’s international operations. Ecobank’s international distribution platform already includes an affiliate in Paris, France and representative offices in Dubai, UAE and London, UK with plans to open offices in New York, USA.

The Togo-based bank is currently present in 32 African countries, namely Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.