ADB gets $ 100 b financial firepower to boost region’s resilience

• ADB President Masato Kanda announces to members and stakeholders enhanced financial resources at 58th Annual Meeting in Milan, Italy
• Says move will allow ADB to grow operations by 50% over next decade
• Last year, ADB deployed almost $ 40 b for development across Asia and Pacific
• President stresses ADB’s ambition is not simply to grow bigger but become more effective and more inclusive
• Reveals integrated strategy for resilient, inclusive, and sustainable growth
• Stresses Asia Pacific is full of promise, home to extraordinary opportunity and potential
• Calls for bold and collective action to solve complex challenges in Asia Pacific

By Nisthar Cassim in Milan, Italy

ADB President Masato Kanda

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday announced enhanced financial firepower of $ 100 billion to boost the region’s resilience in successfully overcoming challenges.

The announcement was made by ADB President Masato Kanda in his remarks at the Opening Session of ADB’s 58th Annual Meeting in Milan, Italy, attended by around 5,000 representatives from member countries and partners and global media, including the Daily FT.

Kanda said the ADB must continue to evolve to deliver on its ambitious agenda, and it has strengthened institutional resources and boosted financial firepower.

ADB...

“We have created $ 100 billion in additional headroom, which will allow us to grow our operations by 50% over the next decade — from $ 24 billion to $ 36 billion a year — to meet the rising aspirations of our developing member countries,” Kanda said amidst applause from the audience gathered at the Milano Convention Centre.

This year’s Annual Meeting’s theme is “Sharing Experience, Building Tomorrow” and Finance Ministers and/or Secretaries and central bank governors from 69 member nations, 50 from the Asian region, are gathered to share insights on how to solve the region’s complex challenges together in Milan, a city that, for centuries, symbolised resilience, innovation, and creativity. At the 2025 ADB Annual Meeting, Sri Lanka is being represented by Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana.

Last year, the ADB deployed almost $ 40 billion for development across Asia and the Pacific. This included $ 24.3 billion from the ADB’s own resources, coupled with $ 14.9 billion in co-financing in collaboration with its partners, to help Asia and the Pacific solve a range of complex development challenges. Sri Lanka received over $ 800 million worth ADB financing in 2024.

In his address, Kanda told delegates that the ADB is advancing open regionalism with new platforms for digital customs, coordinated investments in resilient infrastructure, support for cross-border energy and transport systems, and driving greater cooperation with sub-regional programs, including in South Asia.

“We are deepening financial integration by helping to develop local currency bond markets, strengthen financial safety nets, and promote seamless cross-border transactions. We are committed to strengthening governance and transparency. We know that development finance must not only be effective; it must be trusted. Strong safeguards, rigorous sustainability disclosures, and policy dialogue will remain central to our work,” he added.

“Our ambition is not simply to grow bigger. It is to become more effective and more inclusive,” emphasised Kanda, who assumed office as ADB President in February this year.

In his address, Kanda reminded members and stakeholders that Asia’s path ahead is not without challenges. External shocks, debt burdens, and climate change weigh heavily on many economies, while the pace of technological change and shifting global dynamics add to the layers of complexity.

“But we need to see those challenges as opportunities to change. And we need to recognise that in every corner of the region, there is extraordinary resilience. That is why we are here today: to seize opportunities, enhance resilience, and build a better tomorrow, together,” he explained.

He said the world and Asia are at a critical juncture in history and there is no textbook for this situation.

“We must recognise that we don’t have all the answers. But we are not starting from zero. Growth remains solid, driven by strong domestic demand. Trade and economic integration are deepening, not only within the region but with key partners here in Europe and around the world. Supply chains are diversifying. Digital connectivity is accelerating. And innovation is thriving,” Kanda said.

He told the ADB Annual Meeting opening that Asia and the Pacific is rich with potential.

“With the right actions, we can ensure that this potential translates into lasting progress. Uncertainty is not a reason for retreat. It is a call for action. It challenges us to be bolder, to move faster, and to work more closely than ever before. We must seize the opportunity to transform lives and build a brighter future for the next generation,” the ADB Chief emphasised.

He shared with the participants the ADB’s four transformative focus areas.

“First, the vulnerability of our food systems demands urgent action. The pandemic, droughts, floods, and global disruptions threaten food security and have pushed millions of people towards poverty and hunger.

Second, the digital divide is leaving millions behind. While technology can improve access to education, finance, markets, and public services, too many people remain disconnected from the digital economy.

Third, the need for sustainable energy systems is more urgent than ever. Growing economies require stable, clean, and affordable energy to power their development.

Fourth, the impacts of rising sea levels, water scarcity, extreme heat, and severe weather conditions are reversing hard-won development gains. Building resilience to the changing climate requires developing new approaches, solutions, and financial products, to protect women, the poor, and the most vulnerable.”

He emphasised that Asia and the Pacific is home to over half of the world’s hungry – around 370 million people. Almost 2 billion people in the region lack access to a healthy diet. At the same time, the way the region produces food consumes vast amounts of land and water, and it is the main driver of the loss of our precious biodiversity.

In response, Kanda said the ADB is dramatically scaling up support to transform the systems that provide food for Asia, and the world.

On Sunday, he announced that the ADB’s support for food systems transformation will reach $ 40 billion by 2030. The support will strengthen food systems across the region, building resilience from farms to markets, protecting nature and biodiversity, advancing nutrition, and scaling agribusiness financing, all with a focus on empowering women and harnessing technology.

He said the ADB is also investing deeply in digitalisation. Access to reliable, affordable, and secure digital services is a foundation for opportunity. The ADB’s support for digital technologies is helping millions access formal financial services, modernising payment platforms, and introducing national digital IDs in the Pacific and beyond to reduce costs, improve transparency, and strengthen trust.

The ADB is working at the frontiers of the energy revolution through initiatives like the ASEAN Power Grid, which will modernise and interconnect energy systems across fast-growing Southeast Asian economies. 

“The ADB stands ready to commit up to $ 10 billion to make the ASEAN Power Grid vision a reality,” Kanda told the Annual Meeting.

Efforts to deepen the ADB’s investments to build greater resilience by strengthening infrastructure, restoring and protecting ecosystems, and helping vulnerable communities adapt to a world of intensifying climate and environmental risks was also shared.

Kanda said the region will not grow and add the millions of jobs needed without the private sector development. 

“The ADB’s private sector operations have more than doubled since 2022 and we aim to further increase private sector financing four-fold, to $ 13 billion a year by 2030. The ingenuity of entrepreneurs, businesses, and investors will enable the solutions of tomorrow. Our job is to help unleash this potential, especially in the markets where it is needed most,” he said.

Act boldly, work together

The ADB Chief stressed that each of these efforts is powerful on its own. But together, they represent a bold, integrated strategy for resilient, inclusive, and sustainable growth.

“The path ahead is not easy. But it is full of promise. Asia and the Pacific is home to extraordinary opportunity and potential. If we act boldly, work together, and stay true to our values, we will build a region that is more prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. Together, we can unlock new opportunities. Together, we can lift millions out of poverty. And together, we can leave a legacy of hope and progress for generations to come,” ADB President Kanda emphasised at the Annual Meeting, which will conclude on Wednesday.