BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said on Monday he was confident the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) could start functioning before the end of the year.

Lou was speaking at a ceremony in Beijing at which delegates from 57 countries will sign articles of agreement on the founding of the China-backed AIIB.

(Reporting by Koh Gui Qing; Writing by John Ruwitch; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)