According to Chinese finance minister Lou Jiwei, AIIB “will bring benefits to all parties involved.” The validity of such statement cannot be proved yet, as the exact structure and function of AIIB is still in the dark. Hopefully, more information will be available for analysis this autumn, when a memo on setting up the bank is signed.
What can be said so far is that AIIB, once incorporated, will be specialized in financing economic infrastructure on commercial terms, rather than concessional lending and poverty reduction. By channeling the massive supply of savings into infrastructure construction, AIIB could ultimately help facilitate interregional trade in Asia.