(Yicai Global) Sept. 5 -- The New Development Bank of BRICS hopes to incorporate private enterprises into their list of loan customers in 2018 or 2019, with 30 percent of loans granted to them, Leslie Maasdorp, the bank's vice president and chief financial officer told Yicai Global in an exclusive interview.

Private enterprises have been ever more instrumental in infrastructure financing over the past several decades.

"So, we really hope to incorporate private enterprises into our bank's list of loan customers," Maasdorp said.

Private enterprises now lead the new energy sector and that is the reason this bank expects to incorporate private firms into its loan customer lists in addition to government public businesses. These two sectors will share 70 percent and 30 percent of the bank's loans, respectively, namely 70 percent of loans will be granted to state-owned enterprises or relevant governments, while 30 percent will go to private businesses, Maasdorp said.

Extra costs must be factored in when extending loans to private companies. Therefore, the price for loans will vary accordingly. The BRICS Bank is now building up its capacity, and is likely to set foot in this sector in 2018 or 2019 when it will ply cooperative business similar to public-private partnerships (PPP).

The bank is also now ready for external rating, which will entitle it to issue bonds in the international market, Maasdorp added.

Only banks rated as international rating institutions are generally entitled to issue dollar-denominated bonds, he said.

The bank will focus on sustainable development projects, which is an expansive concept, he conceded. BRICS Bank attends greatly to energy, sustainable traffic and clean water. It will also pay growing future attention to high-speed internet networks.

BRICS Bank has offered a total of USD1.5 billion in loans to its members thus far and, per its plan, will honor its commitment to extend USD2.5 billion at the end of this year, Maasdorp said. Given that the bank is a newcomer with an age of less than two years, this is a great achievement indeed, he added.