ADB is a multilateral development bank started early 1960 owned by 68 members, 49 from the region and 19 from other parts of the world. ADB’s main instruments for helping its developing member countries are policy dialogue, loans, equity investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance. In 2018, lending volume was $19.88 billion (126 projects), with technical assistance at $241.20 million (280 projects) and grant-financed projects at $1.42 billion (44 projects). In addition, $14 billion was generated in direct value-added cofinancing in the form of official loans and grants, other concessional cofinancing, and commercial cofinancing such as B loans, risk transfer arrangements, guarantee cofinancing, parallel loans, parallel equity, and cofinancing for transactions under ADB’s Trade Finance Program. From 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2018, ADB’s annual lending volume averaged $15.99 billion. In addition, investment grants and technical assistance funded by ADB and Special Funds resources averaged $583.95 million and $184 million over the same period. As of 31 December 2018, the cumulative totals excluding cofinancing were $275.82 billion in loans for 3,090 projects in 44 countries, $9.38 billion in 374 grants, and $4.52 billion in technical assistance grants, including regional technical assistance grants.
Nepal became a member in 1966 with 0.147 percent capital and 0.416 percent voting power. Since 1966, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved sovereign and non-sovereign assistance (loans and grants) totaling $5.8 billion and technical assistance of $0.2 billion for Nepal. The current ADB portfolio consists of 36 projects amounting to $2.8 billion and 18 technical assistance projects worth $26.34 million. In 2018, ADB committed five projects for Nepal, with loans and grants totaling ADB’s updated country partnership strategy for Nepal considers development challenges in a federal system, the strategic objectives and priorities of the government, the activities of other development partners in the country, and the best use of the bank’s limited resources. Nepal $592 million and technical assistance of $8.01 million (including $5.31 million cofinancing). Cumulative loan and grant disbursements to Nepal amount to $3.58 billion. These were financed by regular and concessional ordinary capital resources, the Asian Development Fund, and other special funds.
