Join us for a warm-up session to explore the EDB’s new analytical reports. Strong analytics help build practical solutions and shape development strategies. The EDB is one of Eurasia’s key centres of expertise with a deep understanding of the region’s challenges and opportunities. The event will be conducted by EDB analysts and experts from leading international think tanks. Expect a lively discussion on the most pressing topics, from energy transition, advanced industry, and logistics corridors to climate change adaptation.

The global economy is changing rapidly. How can the countries of the Eurasian region navigate this shift and secure their place in the new global landscape? The capacity to rapidly adopt and scale groundbreaking technologies is becoming a key resource. The Eurasian region has one of the world's most significant development potentials. In recent years, the economies of the EDB member states and Central Asia have outpaced global average growth rates. To sustain and accelerate this positive momentum, the region requires more than just sustained growth. The 2 growth is to be rapid, deeply integrated with new technological paradigms, and, above all, centred on human capital. This means a new quality of growth for Eurasia – growth that is fast, technologically advanced, and people-oriented.

Discussion Questions:
• A Long-Term Vision for Eurasia: How to turn the region’s potential into a strategic advantage?
• What part should international development banks play in the structural transformation of the Eurasian region?
• What are the key objectives and priorities for the EDB in the 2027- 2031 period, and how will the EDB facilitate sustainable growth in the region?
• How does joining the EDB align with the long-term national economic priorities of its new member states?

According to The Future of Jobs Report 2025 by the World Economic Forum, structural transformation is expected to affect around 22% of all existing jobs worldwide by 2030. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and global competition do not diminish the role of humans — but they fundamentally reshape it. Even experienced leaders risk losing their competitive edge if learning ceases to be part of their lives. The courage to acknowledge one’s own skill gaps, to relearn, and to reinvent oneself and one’s team is becoming a professional requirement.

Leaders, business, and the state are facing challenges of a new complexity:
• Which competencies will become “irreplaceable” by 2050?
• What should leaders learn to remain relevant in the economy of the future — technology, management, cultural empathy, AI ethics?
• How can leaders develop their teams to achieve long-term strategic goals?

The transformation of global supply chains is elevating logistics to one of the key drivers of economic development. Central Asia sits at the intersection of strategic transport corridors — North–South, West–East, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), and the emerging China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway. This creates a unique opportunity 3 to transform the region into a pivotal logistics hub of the continent. Unlocking this transit potential requires a comprehensive approach: the synchronised development of transport infrastructure — railways and highways — alongside logistics capacity: warehousing complexes, dry ports, and transshipment terminals.

Discussion Questions:

• How to ensure the synchronised development of transport corridors, warehousing complexes, and transshipment terminals to create seamless supply chains across Eurasia?

• What role do multilateral development banks and sovereign wealth funds play in attracting private capital and structuring complex infrastructure projects?

• Game-changing projects: how will the construction of the China– Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway reshape Eurasia’s transport map, and what warehousing capacity will be needed along the new route?

• Urbanisation, cross-border trade, and e-commerce: how to adapt logistics infrastructure to new demand drivers?

• Digitalisation and artificial intelligence: which technologies will ensure the integration of the region’s transport and warehousing systems?

International financial institutions play an important role in addressing global and regional challenges. In the current global economic climate, the international financial institutions system particularly needs new ideas, practical solutions and collaborations.

‘E-Handbook: System of International Financial Institutions’ is a new knowledge platform on the activities, instruments, and development prospects of international financial institutions with focus on multilateral development banks. The platform provides open access to: 

• Analytical materials: research, articles, presentations.
• Databases of development institutions and MDBs, dashboards.
• Media resources: interviews, expert blogs, webinars.
• Educational resources: training courses, online seminars. 

The platform will be useful for all stakeholders, including government institutions, businesses, media, experts, and the academic community.

Attention! We invite experts from international organizations, educational institutions, and research centres to actively participate in developing the knowledge platform by using its resources and capabilities and sharing their own research. 

Eurasia faces the imperative of addressing strategic challenges: from advancing artificial intelligence and big data to building a unified technological infrastructure across the region. Today, the priority is to shape a digital space in which technology innovation becomes the driving force behind sustainable economic growth and improved quality of life for all countries across the region.

Discussion Questions:

• New digital projects of the EDB. The growing significance of AI and its increasing share in project activities.

• AI, digitalization, and integration. The importance and opportunities for synchronization.

• New trends in digital projects: public administration, healthcare, GIS, education.  

Award Ceremony and Presentations of the Winners of the Digital Projects Competition 2025/2026.

The session will explore the role of technical assistance (TA) in the activities of multilateral development banks and international financial institutions operating in Central Asia. The discussion will focus on TA as an integrated instrument within the investment cycle, supporting project preparation, institutional development, regulatory improvements, and investment mobilization.

Participants will discuss how technical assistance mechanisms are evolving from support for individual projects towards more strategic instruments for building investment pipelines, including special funds and project preparation programmes.

Discussion Questions:

• How do development banks use technical assistance to build investment pipelines and develop new financial instruments?
• What institutional models allow TA to be effectively integrated into investment operations?
• How do special funds and project preparation facilities contribute to the development of bankable investment projects?
• How can development banks coordinate technical assistance resources in Central Asia to enhance impact and avoid fragmentation?

Participants will discuss how demographic shifts – such as urbanisation, migration, population ageing, and changes in the labour market – affect investment priorities and necessitate a shift towards more targeted, datadriven solutions. Special attention will be paid to the development of digital statistical infrastructure and the integration of demographic analysis into investment strategies.

Discussion Questions:

• How can demographic data and forecasting be used to construct an investment portfolio and prioritise projects?
• What investment opportunities are emerging in EDB member states in light of demographic changes?
• How does the digitalisation of statistical systems contribute to more accurate and effective investment decision-making?
• How can government policy adapt to demographic trends to support sustainable growth and human-capital development?
• Which partnership models (including cooperation with international organisations) are most effective for developing demographic data systems?

Central Asia is one of the most promising destinations for international investment amidst the transformation of the global economy and the redirection of investment flows. The region possesses significant potential in infrastructure, energy, logistics, agribusiness, and industry. Realising this potential requires the development of sustainable financing mechanisms and the strengthening of international partnerships involving states, international financial institutions, and private capital. This includes mobilising Islamic finance as a source of long-term, stable funding that aligns with the principles of responsible investment.

Discussion Questions:

• How will the global transformation of investment flows, the emergence of new growth centres, and structural changes in the world economy impact the development of Islamic finance in Central Asia and Eurasia?
• What role can the EDB, other international development banks, and institutions such as AAOIFI and IFSB play in shaping a sustainable Islamic finance ecosystem capable of mobilising private capital for the region's priority sectors?
• What regulatory, institutional, and market conditions are required to create further opportunities for attracting and scaling Islamic investment in logistics, energy, food security, and the social sector amidst new global challenges?

PPP continues to play a key role in infrastructure development in Eurasia. The session will focus on the growth drivers in the PPP markets of Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, benchmarking failures and recipes for success in preparing a pool of high-quality PPP projects to realize the competitive advantages and strategic priorities of countries with the expert and financial support of the EDB.

Discussion Questions:

• Overview of PPP markets in EDB member countries: o What hinders and what drives PPP projects in EDB countries?
  o PPP regulations and PPP institutions: what works, what doesn't, and why?
  o What PPP mechanisms and practices can member countries adopt from each other?
• Upstream preparation of PPP projects:
  o Focus on actions that lay the foundation for successful PPP projects.
  o Delivering results: the effects of EDB technical assistance on the development of PPP maturity and markets in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan

Eurasia is carving out a new investment identity. Currently, the region is looking for more than just financing but it seeks technology and sustainable development. The Gulf states are emerging as serious regional players, with a growing interest in Central Asia: they are diversifying their assets, viewing the region as a logistics hub. China continues to strengthen connectivity with neighbouring economies through the Belt and Road Initiative.

The convergence of these interests is shaping a new investment logic for the continent. How can we transform mutual interest into tangible projects? What financial mechanisms work in this new reality? 

Discussion Questions:

• How can we increase the pipeline of bankable projects and scale up non-sovereign financing? How can partnerships help?
• What are the key drivers of and barriers to cooperation between the Eurasian region, the Gulf states and China?
• Which financial instruments are most effective for attracting capital: Islamic finance, blended finance, credit facilities?
• Sovereign vs non-sovereign financing – which is more critical for Central Asia today?

The session will be structured as a practice-oriented dialogue, focusing on the practical aspects of corporate participation in projects funded by multilateral development banks (MDBs) and international financial institutions. The discussion will examine the factors that determine success when entering the MDB project market and securing contracts.

Participants will discuss strategies that enable companies — both start-ups and established firms — to effectively position themselves, build partnerships with development banks, and increase their chances of winning competitive bids. Particular attention will be paid to common barriers faced by bidders during the tendering process, as well as the expectations of development banks when selecting contractors and suppliers.

Discussion Questions:

• What are the main challenges faced by development banks when selecting contractors and suppliers?
• How should companies formulate a strategy for entering the MDBfunded projects market?
• What factors distinguish successful applications when participating in requests for proposals (RFPs) for MDB projects?
• What steps do companies take to improve their chances of winning contracts?

• Annual Report Presentation
• Project Activities Report Presentation
• Presentation of the EDB Sustainability Report 2025