The 11th AIIB annual meeting brings policymakers, investors and business leaders from around the world to Doha to explore how technology, sustainability, connectivity and investment are reshaping the way cities and economies develop.
Financing the infrastructure of the future is a growing global challenge, as countries work to meet their development goals.
The 11th edition of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) annual meeting tackles one of the most critical questions in sustainable development: how to finance the infrastructure of the future and ensure it delivers for the communities it serves.
At her first annual meeting as president of the Beijing-based bank, Zou Jiayi said AIIB aims to broadly double its annual financing to around €17.6 billion by 2030, while focusing on areas where it believes it can add the most value.
“We will focus on infrastructure that supports climate resilience, renewable energy, digital transformation, regional connectivity, nature conservation, and people-centred development. We will leverage modern technology and mobilise private capital. Innovation is how we deliver impact,” she said.
In 2025, AIIB approved €9.4 billion in financing for 57 projects, with 71% of approved financing supporting climate-positive outcomes, surpassing its target. It also mobilised €4.3 billion in private capital.
Building on multilateralism
AIIB has teamed up with other multilateral development banks as part of its efforts to invest in global infrastructure projects.
The bank has established co-financing agreements with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, while also working with major banking institutions across multiple regions.
At the end of 2024, 131 of AIIB’s 303 approved projects had been co-financed with other multilateral development banks.
The model, designed to pool resources and share expertise, has gained added significance at a time when global trade is becoming more fragmented, disrupted and challenged by rising protectionism.
For AIIB, cooperation remains central to the bank’s mission.
“Cooperation is also at the heart of infrastructure. Infrastructure facilitates connections, and building it requires collaboration across borders, institutions, and markets,” Zou added.
Qatar’s role
Qatar, the host country and a founding member of AIIB, sees itself as part of that effort.
Qatari finance minister Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari reaffirmed the Gulf state’s commitment to advancing AIIB’s goals, even as the country faces uncertainty amid regional disruptions.
“Qatar comes to these discussions as a founding shareholder, as an investor in infrastructure across Asia and beyond, and as a country that has learned this year how much resilient infrastructure matters,” he said.
