Dubai, 20 March 2019: Standard Chartered recently announced the launch of the Standard Chartered Belt & Road Relay, the first-ever global running event spanning the Belt and Road initiative. The Relay aims to highlight the Banks continued commitment to Belt and Road, and the positive impact of the initiative to communities and businesses globally.

The Relay will be led by eight staff athletes from Standard Chartered, selected from the Banks diverse footprint across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe and the Americas. These athletes will participate in running events across 44 Belt and Road markets within a 90-day period.

The Standard Chartered Belt & Road Relay kicked off in Hong Kong on 17 February, in conjunction with the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Followed by the UAE stop on 20 March, the Relay will conclude in China on 11 May after the Belt and Road Forum.

The Belt & Road initiative and the opportunities around it, has been a hot topic on the UAEs agenda. Earlier this month, the Crown Prince of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved and announced the Dubai Silk Road Strategy to focus on enhancing strategic and operational connection of logistics services and build on Dubais success as a vital trade link between east and west, and north and south.