(Phnom Penh): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) committed USD 29.3 billion from its own resources in 2025 while advancing key institutional reforms to help Asia and the Pacific navigate change and turn challenges into opportunities. ADB’s Annual Report 2025, published today, summarizes the bank’s operational, institutional, and financial highlights in 2025, a year marked by complexity and uncertainty.

“In 2025, ADB delivered unprecedented levels of support, with a 20 per cent increase over 2024 and expected impacts of more than 3.3 million jobs and benefit to over 180 million people,” said ADB President Masato Kanda. “This shows ADB’s ability to deliver at a scale and with the speed that matches the demands of Asia and the Pacific.”

Loans, grants, equity investments, guarantees, and technical assistance provided to governments and the private sector increased by 20 per cent year-on-year to USD 29.3 billion. This was boosted by an additional USD 14.7 billion from partners.

Private sector development was a key priority for ADB in 2025, comprising USD 5.5 billion of its commitments, while half of its public sector commitments directly supported infrastructure, reforms, and institutions to unlock private investments. ADB is uniquely equipped to support private sector development as its public and private sector operations are under one roof, form one legal entity, and share one balance sheet.

ADB committed USD 8.3 billion in Central West Asia, USD 1.4 billion in East Asia, USD 680 million in the Pacific, USD 9.7 billion in South Asia, and USD 9 billion in Southeast Asia, with USD 302 million allocated to regional projects. Finance, transport, and public sector management were the top three sectors to receive funding.

ADB approved groundbreaking institutional reforms in 2025 to deliver high-quality and well-targeted support to developing member countries. These included:

- An amendment to the ADB Charter to remove the bank’s lending limitation and enable a 50 per cent increase in financing capacity without requiring a general capital increase from shareholders.

- An update of its energy policy to better support energy access and security in developing member countries.

- Streamlined procurement procedures to strengthen ADB’s commitment to quality, sustainability, and value for money.

- A new approach to support critical minerals-to-manufacturing value chains, to responsibly and sustainably capitalize on the demand for materials essential for renewable energy and digital technologies.

ADB is a leading multilateral development bank supporting sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth across Asia and the Pacific. Working with its members and partners to solve complex challenges together, ADB harnesses innovative financial tools and strategic partnerships to transform lives, build quality infrastructure, and safeguard our planet. Founded in 1966, ADB is owned by 69 members, 50 from the region.
=FRESH NEWS