The recent Sustainability Report from the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), unveiled during its Annual Meeting in Almaty, reveals significant strides in green investments. EDB has allocated a cumulative $2 billion towards sustainable initiatives, enhancing its green investment portfolio to $1.08 billion by 2025.
Key highlights include the bank’s active role in financing green energy and sustainable infrastructure within its member states. The report emphasizes a new approach to assessing climate-related risks in its investment strategy. Notably, EDB received an A- rating from the international ESG rating agency CCXGF, indicating its commitment to sustainability.
In 2025, for the first time, EDB experts executed a comprehensive climate risk assessment, identifying water scarcity, extreme temperatures, and droughts as primary climate risks, with potential financial implications estimated in the millions. Despite these risks, projected climate-related losses are minimal compared to the overall investment portfolio.
To enhance climate resilience, EDB is collaborating with international organizations and has initiated projects in areas like sustainable irrigation in Kazakhstan. Its green investment portfolio has continued to expand, mainly focusing on renewable energy projects, including a major solar power plant in Kyrgyzstan.
The report also notes the increasing demand from member states for green initiatives, with EDB’s head of Sustainable Development Center highlighting a tripling of green financing over seven years. A significant portion of the investments is aimed at achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Discussions during the forum underscored the urgency of adaptation finance, with a notable gap between investment needs and actual funding. Experts proposed strategies like expanding guarantees for private investments and creating a unified regional climate platform to enhance cooperative efforts in climate adaptation projects.
As a multilateral development bank, EDB’s portfolio encompasses 326 projects, collectively worth $19.6 billion, focused on transport infrastructure, digital systems, agriculture, and more—all contributing to regional integration.
