Asian Development Bank: New partners
The Asian Development Bank is taking commendable steps to position itself as more than just a lender. Faced with rising regional wealth and the arrival of new multilateral institutions, it is right to have one eye on its long-term future. To remain relevant in supporting Asian development, however, it will need to forge new partnerships and show that it can offer more than just its capital.
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Knowledge management
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JICA: Quality infrastructure funding
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Treasury: Market access
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Hitting the brakes
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Plus ça change
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M4: A new capital highway?
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Coming together
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AMBIF: One small step for integration
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Moment of truth
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Tiwi Makban: Heating up project bonds
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Tricky First steps
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Social development
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Back on the radar
Knowledge management
ADB President Takehiko Nakao looks at how the Asian Development Bank is responding to a changing landscape for multilateral lenders and the agenda for this year’s meeting in Frankfurt.
JICA: Quality infrastructure funding
Japan, the ADB’s biggest shareholder, is ramping up its support for Asian infrastructure with commitments totalling US$6.5bn from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Treasury: Market access
The ADB’s treasury department is increasing its funding activities and focusing on local currencies as it responds to growing demands for the bank’s assistance.
Hitting the brakes
Challenges to global growth, low commodity prices and volatile capital markets are piling the pressure on Asia in 2016. How vulnerable are Asia’s economies to a slowing China?
Plus ça change
Two new China-based development banks are set to begin lending this year, adding a new layer to social and infrastructure funding across Asia. Talk of a challenge to the established order, however, is overdone.
M4: A new capital highway?
The next stretch of Pakistan’s M4 highway is set to be the first project to be financed jointly by the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Coming together
The launch of the ASEAN Economic Community has brought the goal of regional integration one step closer, but ASEAN’s progress is still too slow and uneven to challenge Asian giants India and China.
AMBIF: One small step for integration
A landmark issue in Thailand’s local bond market last year has underlined the challenges in the integration of South-East Asia’s capital markets.
Moment of truth
Climate-sensitive investments are gaining ground in Asia despite a slump in fossil fuel prices. Further development, however, will depend on convincing investors that green finance can pay off.
Tiwi Makban: Heating up project bonds
A geothermal power project in the Philippines has raised hopes that Asia’s capital markets can play a bigger role in financing sustainable infrastructure projects.
Tricky First steps
Global regulations are complicating efforts to bring Asia’s frontier economies into the global financial markets, putting pressure on multilaterals to bridge the gap.
Social development
Malaysia has shown that sharia-compliant bonds provide a dependable source of funding despite a political crisis that has rocked international confidence.
Back on the radar
Vietnam is bucking the trend in South-East Asia, with an economy growing at its fastest pace in nine years. Connecting the country and its leading companies with global investors, however, remains a challenge.
