The Asian Development Bank (ADB) significantly expanded its private sector operations in 2025, with financing reaching $9.5 billion, a 38% increase from the previous year. The growth highlights the rising role of private capital in addressing development challenges across Asia and the Pacific.
According to ADB’s latest development effectiveness report, private capital mobilization increased by 31% to $4.7 billion, while ADB’s own financing rose 14% to $5.5 billion. The average transaction size also increased by 40%.
Projects committed during 2025 are expected to benefit more than 930,000 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), including more than 568,000 women beneficiaries. Investments are also expected to generate 7,839 gigawatt-hours of clean energy, improve nearly 60,000 homes and provide 7.7 million cubic meters of potable water annually.
ADB’s digital investments are expected to support the installation of around 500 telecommunications towers and provide services to approximately 630,000 subscribers.
The bank’s active private sector portfolio delivered broader development impacts by the end of 2025. It had supported more than 26 million MSMEs, including 24.3 million women-owned or women-led businesses, while helping employ more than 1.1 million workers and training 1.8 million people.
ADB also reported significant results in agriculture, energy and transport. Agribusiness investments have benefited 8.9 million farmers, while transport projects have supported more than 117,000 electric vehicles.
The strong performance reflects ADB’s growing use of blended finance, risk-sharing mechanisms and partnerships to attract investment into areas such as clean energy, digital infrastructure, water, agriculture and social services.
With more than a quarter of its 2025 commitments directed toward new and frontier economies, ADB is increasingly using private sector financing to expand investment, strengthen resilience and support sustainable and inclusive economic growth across the Asia-Pacific region.
