By Laila Humairah
Published on
From broadband expansion in Indonesia — to clean energy in Uzbekistan, the AIIB’s biggest projects since its operations first began in 2016 have shown the organisation’s commitment to building a lasting impact on communities by meeting infrastructure needs of countries beyond its roots in China.
From the 57 founding members to 111 approved countries today, the strength of AIIB is in its diverse and unique network.
In his outgoing speech as president of the AIIB, Jin Liqun reflected on the 10 years of his tenure: “During this period, we have worked with our development partners to scale impact and improve livelihood across Asia and beyond.”
Those partnerships, which AIIB believes is in its DNA, have translated into more than €58bn in funding, supporting over 350 projects in 40 economies.
Major partner projects have included building Pakistan’s National Motorway M-4 with the Asian Development Bank, supporting sustainable rural sanitation in Egypt with the World Bank, and expanding the Izmir Metro System in Turkiye with the EBRD.
Still, AIIB believes there is a lot more to be done, promising to deploy at least another €65bn by 2030.
The bank’s next chapter also puts into focus a few key goals: climate mitigation and adaptation, innovative infrastructure, and hyperconnectivity to build on its mission of inclusive growth.
AIIB’s new president, Zou Jiayi, is one of China’s most influential financial officials. Zou, who is the former Chinese vice finance minister — a position also formerly held by Jin — is known as a key facilitator in the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative.
In Zou’s first speech in her new role, she said: “My belief is simple: a better world can be built. Not merely imagined, but built — through practical cooperation, purposeful investment, and development that improves people’s lives. That conviction will guide my presidency.”
One of Zou’s first major events as AIIB President will be to oversee the bank’s Annual Meeting, set to be held in Doha, Qatar, on 23 and 24 September. The flagship event will bring together shareholders, partners, business leaders and civil society organisations to discuss, collaborate and chart a way forward.
Qatar, a founding member of the AIIB, has called the decision to hold the 11th edition of the annual meeting in Doha “a great honour”, with Qatari finance minister Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari reaffirming the country’s commitment to being a key partner of AIIB in the GCC.
As AIIB sets its sights on another decade of infrastructure development, forging closer partnerships with countries like Qatar will help power up a greener, tech-driven, and interconnected future.