The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide Bangladesh a hefty loan support of around $2.5 billion in the calendar year 2026 against a good number of projects.
"The ADB is likely to provide around $2.5 billion to Bangladesh for funding at least 10 development projects next year," said a senior official of the Ministry of Finance.
The manila-based multilateral development financier has almost finalised such financing plan in its recently held Country Programming Mission (CPM) for 2026. Besides, fund will be kept ready as 'standby' against any emergency or priority beyond the 10 projects.
"The ADB CPM completed its mission last week wrapping-up meeting with the ERD. It has assured Bangladesh of providing at least around $2.5 billion worth of funds for several development projects in 2026," a senior ERD official told the BSS.
Its Country Programming Mission (CPM) is an annual report that details planned lending and grants for Bangladesh over a year or multi-year period such as the 2023-2025 lending pipeline.
The Manila-based lender has prioritized five key areas-- climate-resilient development, energy efficiency, public-private partnerships (PPPs), social protection, and catalyzing structural reforms--to boost the country's economic development and private-sector growth.
The official said in line with the country's demands, the current ADB operations in Bangladesh focuses on infrastructures, energy, water resources, health, education, climate related issues alongside prioritizing on regional connectivity and corridor development.
He informed that apart from prioritizing these issues, ADB is also putting emphasis on job creation, poverty alleviation, regional integration, health sector digitization, skills development, capacity building, water resources management and river restoration in its future operations with Bangladesh.
The ERD official said apart from the CPM, a Tripartite Portfolio Review Meeting (TPRM) was also held recently which reviewed the progress of 15 ongoing ADB-funded projects here in Bangladesh.
The TPRM found that timeframe has reduced in tendering process while the concerned agencies are also making in-depth preparations before signing financing agreements against different projects, said the official.
"We're putting more focus on project readiness, identifying the areas which consume more time and thus expediting the implementation process," he said.
In the current year, the government has so far signed 8 project agreements with the ADB worth $1.8 billion of which around $900 million came as budget support.
The ERD official said since Bangladesh would graduate from its LDC status in 2026, the lender emphasizes transition support for the country.
Its funding will meant for facilitating Bangladesh in regional integration, export diversification, boosting productivity through skilled manpower development as well as in infrastructure-development areas.
According to the proposed funding plans for 10 projects in 2026, the ADB is likely to lend $300 million for the second phase of the ongoing Dhaka-Sylhet 4-lane-road- development project under SASEC initiative, $115.8 million for Narayanganj Green and Resilient Urban Development Project, and $200 million for the Sustainable Energy Development and Empowering Communities in Chittagong Hill Tracts Project. "BSS
