Asian Development Bank launches $1 billion critical mineral supply chain finance scheme
Updated
Updated · MINING.com · May 4
Asian Development Bank launches $1 billion critical mineral supply chain finance scheme
17 articles · Updated · MINING.com · May 4
At its annual meeting in Samarkand, ADB said Korea Eximbank and K-SURE had each signed $500 million memorandums as the facility’s first partners.
The scheme will help countries in Asia and the Pacific prepare projects and fund infrastructure for processing, manufacturing and recycling minerals used in clean energy, batteries, electric vehicles and digital technology.
Japan and the UK are also providing smaller grants for early project work, as ADB pushes the region to capture more jobs, technology and value beyond raw-material exports.
Can a new multi-billion dollar fund truly break China's stranglehold on the world's most critical technology metals?
Will the global rush for critical minerals spark an economic boom or an environmental crisis across the Asia-Pacific?
On May 3, 2026, the Asian Development Bank launched the Critical Minerals-to-Manufacturing Financing Partnership Facility to help Asia-Pacific countries build resilient supply chains beyond raw mineral extraction. Funded by Japan, the UK, Korea Eximbank, and K-SURE, the facility supports early project development and mobilizes large-scale investments in processing, manufacturing, and recycling. This initiative responds to China's growing dominance in refined critical minerals, which poses geopolitical risks. By fostering local industrial capacity and higher-skilled jobs, and supporting projects like battery manufacturing in India and AI-driven mining in Uzbekistan, the facility aims to diversify supply chains and strengthen regional economic resilience while addressing environmental and social challenges.