ADB Backs Thailand’s Disaster Readiness and Sets Out $30 Billion ASEAN Investment Push

Kanda’s Bangkok visit advanced two major financing agreements covering public health and electricity infrastructure.

Thailand's efforts to protect communities from disasters and strengthen its economy received fresh backing from the Asian Development Bank, with President Masato Kanda pledging support during a meeting with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Their discussions connected disaster preparedness with a broader challenge: protecting the economic progress people have worked hard to achieve.

The meeting formed part of Kanda's four-day visit to Bangkok for the 2026 World Bank Group–International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings. His agenda brought together disaster resilience, private investment and regional cooperation, with financing agreements for Thai hospitals and Uzbekistan's electricity network among the main developments.

Protecting Communities and Preparing for Regional Leadership

"Our priority is to protect communities when disaster strikes and help them recover and prosper," Kanda said, explaining that ADB is working closely with Thailand and drawing on private investment to strengthen the country's resilience.

Thailand is ADB's second-largest destination for private sector investment. Since 2022, the bank has driven more than $3 billion in investments across clean energy, battery storage and agribusiness, supporting the country's green transition.

The discussions also looked ahead to Thailand's ASEAN chairship in 2028. Kanda pledged ADB's support for its regional leadership, backed by the bank's commitment to mobilize up to $30 billion by 2030 for ASEAN priorities.

Areas being explored include connectivity, the digital and blue economies, sustainability-linked finance and food security. These priorities connect Thailand's national development plans with regional needs, including stronger economic links and investment that can support growth across borders.

Hospital and Power Loans Put Financing Into Practice

Kanda's Bangkok visit advanced two major financing agreements covering public health and electricity infrastructure. With Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ekniti Nitithanprapas, he exchanged the signed agreement for a $212 million loan supporting the first health sector project between the Thai government and ADB, focused on hospitals.

He also signed a $200 million loan agreement with Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov to modernize the country's electricity distribution network.

The Uzbekistan agreement marks ADB's first energy investment under the Full Mutual Reliance Framework with the World Bank, adding a practical example of cooperation between the two institutions.

Speaking to the World Bank–IMF Development Committee as the 2026 Chair of the MDB Heads Group, Kanda called on multilateral development banks to attract more private capital and move faster when crises strike.

His message addressed the pressures developing economies face from macroeconomic disruption, geopolitical instability and environmental shocks. He urged banks to respond to immediate threats and sustain the longer-term investments that build resilience, create jobs and attract businesses.

Global Partnerships and Private Capital Fill Out the Agenda

Kanda met World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Agence Française de Développement Chief Executive Officer Christophe Lecourtier to strengthen institutional partnerships and coordinate responses to global shocks.

Economic reform and disaster resilience featured in bilateral discussions with Indonesia's Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara, Nepal's Finance Minister Swarnim Waglé, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema and State Bank of Viet Nam Governor Pham Duc An. Meetings with major donors allowed Kanda to thank them for their continued support, including contributions to the Asian Development Fund.

Those discussions included Canada's Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai; Germany's Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Reem Alabali Radovan; and the Republic of Korea's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy Lee Hyoung Il.

He also met Luxembourg's Finance Minister Gilles Roth, the United Kingdom's Minister of State for International Development Kirsty McNeill and the United States' Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs Erin Browne.

Private sector discussions focused on attracting more capital and expanding local currency financing. Kanda met Standard Chartered Group Chair Maria Ramos and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group President and Group Chief Executive Officer Junichi Hanzawa, carrying the investment agenda into talks with commercial financial institutions.