Standard Bank CIB has provided a US$29mn social documentary credit facility to telecommunications tower firm Helios Towers, marking a sustainability first for the lender.
Helios Towers builds, acquires and operates shared telecommunications towers across Africa, enabling mobile network operators to extend their coverage on the continent.
The new facility will allow Helios Towers to procure and import telecommunications infrastructure and services in Africa, supporting its working capital needs and infrastructure expansion programme, the bank said.
The deal’s social impact will come from increasing network coverage and connectivity in remote regions, with the aim of improving business opportunities for communities.
Benoit Samouilhan, global transaction banker at Standard Bank, said: “By combining a first-to-market social documentary credit facility with a cross-border funding solution, Standard Bank has supported Helios Towers’ growth ambitions while helping extend digital connectivity to underserved communities across Africa.”
The facility was structured in accordance with the Loan Market Association’s Social Loan Principles.
Alex Carter, group finance director at Helios Towers, said: “Reliable digital infrastructure is fundamental to Africa’s future growth and development.
“This facility provides us with the flexibility and certainty needed to support our ongoing infrastructure investments while advancing our mission of expanding connectivity across the continent.”
Noloyiso Mpanza, executive lead of sustainable finance, transaction banking at Standard Bank, added: “This transaction demonstrates Standard Bank’s ability to deliver tailored trade finance solutions that promote telecommunications infrastructure development and digital inclusion across the African continent.”
Investors are increasingly eyeing digital connectivity in Africa as a growth area, but operators face challenges such as unreliable grid electricity.
A 2025 McKinsey report found that African telco firms could unlock an estimated US$170bn in GDP by 2030 through investing in digital infrastructure.
