EDB Council Approves Bank’s Development Strategy for 2027–2031

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Council of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), meeting in Almaty, has approved the bank's new Development Strategy for the years 2027–2031.

The meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Oljas Bektenov, who was re-elected as Chairman of the EDB Council following the session. During the meeting, participants reviewed the bank's performance for 2025 and recognized the early fulfillment of the active strategy covering 2022–2026.

The Chairman of the EDB Management Board, Nikolai Podguzov, reported that by the end of 2025, the bank's investment volume reached 2.6 billion dollars. The bulk of the financing was channeled into projects within the energy, transport, logistics, and chemical industries. The bank's green project portfolio expanded by 17% over the year, reaching 1 billion dollars. Additionally, the EDB Technical Assistance Fund and the Digital Initiatives Fund collectively directed 40 million dollars toward water conservation, artificial intelligence technologies, and agro-industrial sector support.

By the close of 2025, the bank's cumulative portfolio reached 326 projects with a total investment volume of 19.6 billion dollars. When factoring in funds mobilized by the bank's partners, the aggregate investment in the economies of member states exceeded 64 billion dollars. Kazakhstan holds the largest share in the current investment portfolio, accounting for 4.2 billion dollars, or 65%, across 46 active projects.

The Council noted the early implementation of the EDB 2022–2026 strategy. Cumulative investments under this framework are projected to reach 12.2 billion dollars by the end of the current year, exceeding the planned target of 10.9 billion dollars. Over the same period, 5.2 billion dollars was directed into the economy of Kazakhstan—an amount comparable to the bank's total investments in the country over the preceding 15 years.

The newly approved 2027–2031 strategy defines three priority directions: developing the transport and logistics complex, financing high-value-added manufacturing, and attracting international capital to implement large-scale investment projects. The meeting also resulted in several organizational and financial decisions.

Kazakhstan's Minister of Finance, Madi Takiev, was reappointed as Deputy Chairman of the Council. KPMG was approved as the bank's external auditor for the 2026 financial year. The meeting was attended by EDB Council members from Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

This year, the EDB marks the 20th anniversary of its founding. Opening the session, Bektenov emphasized that over two decades, the bank has made a significant contribution to developing the economies of its member states and expressed confidence in its continued dynamic growth. Today, the organization unites seven countries.

On the same day, Almaty hosted the business forum "Eurasia 2030+: Investments, Growth, and New Opportunities," timed to coincide with the bank's anniversary. A welcoming address from Bektenov was read to the participants, highlighting the substantial potential of the Eurasian region for expanding trade, adopting technologies, and establishing new points of economic growth. The address also underscored the open-door policy for foreign investment as a strategic priority for Kazakhstan, anchored in the provisions of the republic's Constitution.