The Asian Development Bank launched the Critical Minerals-to-Manufacturing Financing Partnership Facility, aiming to help Asia-Pacific countries build higher-value supply chains in clean energy, batteries, electric vehicles, and digital technology.
The facility is designed to move the region beyond raw material extraction and into processing, manufacturing, and recycling.
What is ADB's Critical Minerals-to-Manufacturing Financing Partnership Facility?
The facility, launched at ADB's 59th Annual Meeting, helps countries prepare projects, reform policies, and attract public and private financing across critical minerals value chains. It has two components: a grant window for early-stage project work and a catalytic finance window to bring in cofinancing and risk-sharing from partners.
Together, they are intended to help developing economies capture the jobs and technology that critical minerals industries generate.
Who is funding the ADB critical minerals facility?
Japan has committed $20 million to the grant window, while the United Kingdom has contributed $1.6 million. Korea Eximbank and the Korean Trade Insurance Corporation, known as K-SURE, each signed a $500 million memorandum as the facility's first partners in the catalytic finance window.
The grant window will fund feasibility studies, environmental and social assessments, technical assistance, and knowledge-sharing.
ADB President Masato Kanda said at the annual meeting that Asia and the Pacific should capture the jobs, technology, and value that critical minerals provide, not just serve as a source of raw materials.
He described the facility as being about urgency and fairness, with the goal of building responsible supply chains so developing countries can compete in advanced manufacturing.
Where is ADB already working on critical minerals projects?
ADB is supporting battery manufacturing and recycling in India, geological data mapping in Mongolia, and AI-driven critical metals production in Uzbekistan.
It is also supporting a critical minerals strategy in Kazakhstan and a regulatory reform roadmap in the Philippines. ADB has additionally established a Critical Minerals Database to improve supply chain information and support policy coordination across the region.
The facility builds on ADB's 2025 strategy for responsible and sustainable critical minerals-to-manufacturing value chains. All projects supported through the facility will be subject to ADB's environmental and social requirements, due diligence, and impact assessments.
The broader goal is to meet rising demand for clean energy and digital technologies while supporting inclusive economic growth across the Asia-Pacific region.
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