The Asian Development Bank committed $29.3 billion from its own resources in 2025 while advancing institutional reforms aimed at helping Asia and the Pacific navigate economic uncertainty, according to its Annual Report 2025 released Thursday.
The report outlines the bank’s operational, financial and institutional performance during a year marked by complexity and uncertainty.
“In 2025, ADB delivered unprecedented levels of support, with a 20% 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,” he said.
Lending and sector focus
ADB’s total commitments, including loans, grants, equity investments, guarantees and technical assistance, rose 20% year-on-year to $29.3 billion. An additional $14.7 billion was mobilized from partners.
Private sector development remained a key priority, accounting for $5.5 billion of total commitments. Half of the bank’s public sector financing was directed toward infrastructure, reforms and institutions aimed at unlocking private investment.
ADB said its structure — combining public and private sector operations under one balance sheet —positions it to support private sector growth.
Regionally, ADB committed $9.7 billion in South Asia, $9 billion in Southeast Asia, $8.3 billion in Central and West Asia, $1.4 billion in East Asia and $680 million in the Pacific, along with $302 million for regional projects.
Finance, transport and public sector management were the top sectors receiving funding.
Institutional reforms
ADB approved a series of reforms in 2025 to expand its financing capacity and improve the effectiveness of its support.
These included an amendment to its charter removing lending limitations, enabling a 50% increase in financing capacity without requiring additional capital from shareholders.
The bank also updated its energy policy to better support energy access and security, streamlined procurement procedures to enhance quality and value for money, and introduced a new approach to support critical minerals-to-manufacturing value chains tied to renewable energy and digital technologies.
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