The 11th annual meetings of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank opened in Doha on Monday, with more than 1,000 participants and 48 ministers attending. The bank aims to increase its annual financing to nearly $20 billion by 2030, focusing on modern infrastructure, climate action and regional connectivity.
Climate financing exceeds target
The bank approved $10.6 billion in financing last year for 57 projects, with climate-related projects accounting for 71% of the total. That exceeded the bank’s 60% target for the fourth consecutive year.
Bank President Zou Jiayi said the increase in annual financing would focus on modern infrastructure, climate action and regional connectivity. She said the bank would work with governments, development institutions and markets to mobilize more private capital.
Financing growth will not come at the expense of project quality
Investment opportunities in Qatar and the region
Qatar’s Finance Minister and chair of the bank’s Board of Governors for 2026, Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, said the bank could support projects that strengthen connectivity and integration among the Gulf states. He highlighted the importance of expanding its role in financing development projects in Qatar and the region.
Al Kuwari added that Qatar, which helped establish the bank in 2015, was committed to strengthening multilateral cooperation and supporting investment in sustainable infrastructure in ways that contribute to growth and resilience.
Zou Jiayi said the bank’s priorities were closely aligned with Qatar’s development agenda and Qatar National Vision 2030. She identified transport, water-resource management and renewable energy as areas the bank could support in the country and the region.
Artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure
Zou Jiayi said technology and artificial intelligence were expected to play an increasingly important role in infrastructure development by automating ports, developing intelligent transport systems and improving urban management.
She stressed the importance of developing digital infrastructure to enable broader use of artificial intelligence, alongside continued investment in roads, railways, ports, airports and renewable energy.
$79 billion since the bank’s launch
Since its launch in the Chinese capital Beijing, the bank has approved more than $79 billion in financing for more than 400 projects across 43 economies. Its number of approved members has reached 111, while it has retained AAA credit ratings from major international credit-rating agencies.
The meetings, hosted by the Qatari capital on September 28 and 29, are examining ways to expand sustainable infrastructure financing, strengthen multilateral cooperation and mobilize private capital, as well as opportunities to increase the bank’s investments in Qatar and the region.
