The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new headquarters in Beijing Olympic Park on Friday, marking a milestone in the bank's history and signifying the role of Beijing as a center for international finance.

At present, the Beijing municipal government is providing a temporary office for the AIIB on Financial Street - Jinrong Jie - in downtown Beijing. "When construction on the headquarters is completed and it is put into service, the bank staff will have an even better workplace, and the foundation will be laid for the development of the bank over the longer run," Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said at the ceremony.

The AIIB headquarters will have a floor area of about 250,000 square meters. The office complex will be built in compliance with the strictest low-carbon standards, according to the builder - Beijing Inno-Olympic Group Co Ltd.