A Comparative Guide to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 2nd ed

Natalie Lichtenstein

ISBN: 9780197823088

Published: March 2026

Format: Hardcover

Language: English

Publisher: Oxford University Press USA

Description

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) opened in 2016 as a US$100 billion multilateral development bank financing infrastructure across Asia; a decade on, it has invested more than US$60 billion and grown to 110 approved members spanning Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa and the Americas. Written by Natalie Lichtenstein — the Bank's founding Chief Counsel — this second edition takes apart the AIIB Charter clause by clause, explaining its mandate, investment operations, membership, finance, governance and institutional design, and setting it against the charters of the World Bank and other MDBs that came before it.

Key Features

• Written from the perspective of the Chief Counsel who drafted the AIIB Charter — a genuine inside account of how the institution was built
• Two chapters new to this edition trace the legal origins of the World Bank Charter back through the Bank for International Settlements and an unrealised 1940 Inter-American Bank
• Updated through AIIB's first decade of operations, with new analysis of innovations in practice since founding

Coverage

Thirteen chapters move from the legal origins of the modern development bank charter (via the World Bank and its predecessors) through AIIB's own mandate, investment operations, membership, finance, governance framework and decision-making, transitions, institutional matters, and a decade of innovations in practice.

About the Author

Natalie Lichtenstein served as the founding Chief Counsel of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, where she helped draft its Charter. She brings a rare combination of practitioner insider knowledge and comparative institutional scholarship to this guide.

Table of Contents

1. Beginnings; 2. Legal Origins: IBRD; 3. Legal Origins: From IBRD to AIIB; 4. Mandate; 5. Investment Operations; 6. Membership; 7. Finance; 8. Governance: Framework; 9. Governance: Decision-Making; 10. Transitions; 11. Institutional Matters; 12. Innovations in Practice: AIIB's First Decade; 13. Reflections Revisited.

Why buy this book?

As AIIB becomes an established fixture of Asian infrastructure finance, this remains the only Charter-level legal guide written by an insider — essential for any collection covering multilateral development banks, international investment law or Asia-Pacific economic governance.

Keywords

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, AIIB, multilateral development bank, MDB, World Bank Charter, infrastructure finance, international investment law, Asia

Target Audience

Policymakers, international business professionals, academics in international investment law and development finance

Genre

International Investment Law, Multilateral Development Banks

Q&A

What is the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)?
AIIB is a multilateral development bank that opened in 2016 with US$100 billion in capital to finance infrastructure across Asia, and now has 110 approved members.

Who wrote this guide to the AIIB Charter?
Natalie Lichtenstein, AIIB's founding Chief Counsel, who helped draft the Charter the book analyses.

What is new in the second edition?
Two chapters new to this edition trace the legal origins of the World Bank Charter, plus updated analysis of AIIB's first decade of operations.

Does the book compare AIIB to other development banks?
Yes — it examines the AIIB Charter against the charters of the World Bank and its predecessor institutions.

Where can I buy A Comparative Guide to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank?
Directly from CLNZ Books, with worldwide delivery for university libraries, law firms and individual professionals.

📘 Learn more about shipping, delivery times, and returns, see our FAQ here

📦 New to ordering with us? See our How to Order guide for payment, shipping, and institutional order options.