ADB scales up operations to $29.3 billion in 2025 to build resilience in Asia-Pacific

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) committed $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 on Thursday, outlines the bank’s operational, institutional, and financial highlights for 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 benefits for 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 to governments and the private sector rose 20 per cent year-on-year to $29.3 billion, supported by an additional $14.7 billion from partners.

Private sector development remained a key priority, accounting for $5.5 billion of ADB’s commitments. Half of its public sector financing directly supported infrastructure, reforms, and institutions aimed at unlocking private investment. ADB highlighted its integrated model, where public and private sector operations function under one roof, as a key strength.

Regionally, ADB committed $8.3 billion in Central and West Asia, $1.4 billion in East Asia, $680 million in the Pacific, $9.7 billion in South Asia, and $9 billion in Southeast Asia, with $302 million allocated to regional projects. The finance, transport, and public sector management sectors received the largest shares of funding.

ADB also approved major institutional reforms in 2025 to enhance its support for developing member countries. These included an amendment to its charter removing lending limitations, enabling a 50 per cent increase in financing capacity without a general capital increase from shareholders; an updated energy policy to strengthen energy access and security; streamlined procurement procedures to improve quality, sustainability, and value for money; and a new approach to support critical minerals-to-manufacturing value chains for renewable energy and digital technologies.

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