Samarkand, Uzbekistan: The Asian Development Bank Sunday rolled out a new financing facility aimed at strengthening critical minerals supply chains across Asia and the Pacific, marking a major push to position developing economies in higher-value clean energy and advanced technology industries.
The Critical Minerals-to-Manufacturing Financing Partnership Facility will operate through two complementary windows. A grant-based component will fund early-stage project preparation, including feasibility studies, environmental and social assessments, technical assistance, and knowledge-sharing activities. Japan has committed $20 million to this window, while the United Kingdom has contributed $1.6 million, an official statement said.
A second catalytic finance window is designed to mobilize large-scale cofinancing and risk-sharing from development partners and the private sector. Early commitments include $500 million each from Korea Eximbank and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation raw mineral extraction and into processing, manufacturing, and recycling—segments that capture greater economic value and job creation potential.
“Critical minerals will shape the next industrial era,” said ADB President Masato Kanda. “Asia and the Pacific should be more than a source of raw materials. The region should also capture the jobs, technology, and value these minerals provide.”
He added that the initiative is intended to ensure developing member countries can build competitive industries while maintaining responsible and sustainable supply chains.
ADB said the initiative builds on its 2025 strategy to develop sustainable critical minerals-to-manufacturing value chains across the region. Existing ADB-supported efforts include battery production and recycling projects in India, geological data mapping in Mongolia, AI-enabled mineral production and circular economy initiatives in Uzbekistan, and policy reforms in Kazakhstan and the Philippines.
The bank has also developed a Critical Minerals Database to improve transparency and coordination across global supply chains, it said.
All projects under the new facility will be subject to ADB’s environmental and social safeguards, including due diligence and impact assessments, the institution said.
The statement added that the initiative aims not only to meet rising global demand for minerals used in electric vehicles, batteries, and digital technologies, but also to ensure that developing economies benefit more directly through industrial growth, employment, and technology transfer.
The Critical Minerals-to-Manufacturing Financing Partnership Facility will operate through two complementary windows. A grant-based component will fund early-stage project preparation, including feasibility studies, environmental and social assessments, technical assistance, and knowledge-sharing activities. Japan has committed $20 million to this window, while the United Kingdom has contributed $1.6 million, an official statement said.
A second catalytic finance window is designed to mobilize large-scale cofinancing and risk-sharing from development partners and the private sector. Early commitments include $500 million each from Korea Eximbank and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation raw mineral extraction and into processing, manufacturing, and recycling—segments that capture greater economic value and job creation potential.
“Critical minerals will shape the next industrial era,” said ADB President Masato Kanda. “Asia and the Pacific should be more than a source of raw materials. The region should also capture the jobs, technology, and value these minerals provide.”
He added that the initiative is intended to ensure developing member countries can build competitive industries while maintaining responsible and sustainable supply chains.
ADB said the initiative builds on its 2025 strategy to develop sustainable critical minerals-to-manufacturing value chains across the region. Existing ADB-supported efforts include battery production and recycling projects in India, geological data mapping in Mongolia, AI-enabled mineral production and circular economy initiatives in Uzbekistan, and policy reforms in Kazakhstan and the Philippines.
The bank has also developed a Critical Minerals Database to improve transparency and coordination across global supply chains, it said.
All projects under the new facility will be subject to ADB’s environmental and social safeguards, including due diligence and impact assessments, the institution said.
The statement added that the initiative aims not only to meet rising global demand for minerals used in electric vehicles, batteries, and digital technologies, but also to ensure that developing economies benefit more directly through industrial growth, employment, and technology transfer.
