In order to provide sustainable financing for infrastructure and development projects across the Global South, the New Development Bank (NDB) marked its tenth year of operation in 2025. Established by the BRICS countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—the bank has since expanded its shareholder base to include Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay.
According to official reports, the core mission of the NDB, unlike many international financial institutions, is not profit maximization for shareholders, but rather bridging the gap between the extensive development needs of emerging economies and their limited access to long-term financial resources.
The bank’s primary focus lies in financing infrastructure and sustainable development projects—critical sectors that often face funding shortages due to high capital requirements, long investment horizons, and gradual returns, making development-oriented financial support essential.
By 2025, the total value of approved NDB projects reached approximately USD 39 billion, with nearly 120 projects financed across developing countries. These projects span a wide range of sectors, including clean energy and energy efficiency, transportation, water and sanitation, digital infrastructure, environmental protection, and social infrastructure.
Operational outcomes of these investments include an additional 2,400 megawatts of clean energy capacity, annual reductions of 14.7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, construction of 35,000 housing units, 43 schools, 1,400 kilometers of tunnels and canals, and more than 40,000 kilometers of roads.
Published data indicate that up to 2022, the largest share of NDB resources was allocated to transportation infrastructure development and mitigation of the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. China, India, and South Africa emerged as the largest recipients of NDB financing.
A distinctive feature of the NDB’s operations is the financing of projects in the national currencies of member countries—a strategy aimed at reducing exchange rate risks and strengthening the financial sovereignty of recipient economies, a practice that continued into 2025.
Code; 1051-20260102
