Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) are becoming a bigger, better, and more effective MDB system to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development.
Working with countries and partners, MDBs aim to deliver greater impact including economic growth and job creation. This momentum shows that the MDB system is responding —individually and collectively— to the call of shareholders for greater synergies and better use of comparative advantages within their mandates.
The image on the left: Heads of the MDBs Group meeting, April 2026.
The Heads of the MDBs Group is a forum for coordination and action among the leaders of 10 major MDBs: Asian Development Bank (ADB) – Chair in 2026; African Development Bank (AfDB); Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) – Chair in 2025; European Investment Bank (EIB); European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) – Chair in 2024; Islamic Development Bank (IsDB); New Development Bank (NDB); and the World Bank Group (WBG). The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also contributes to the group.
$278 billion
of private capital mobilized in 2024.
$650 billion
of additional lending capacity over the next decade (as of 2024).
IDB as Chair of the Heads of MDBs Group in 2024
Under IDB's leadership, the Heads of MDBs decided to elevate their ambition, including by agreeing on a Viewpoint Note outlining concrete actions across key priority areas. Throughout this year, working together with the G20 Brazilian Presidency, the IDB fostered synergies to reflect the priorities and perspectives of Latin America and the Caribbean on the global stage.
Viewpoint Note: Working as a System for Impact and Scale
It marked the first joint action plan by the Heads of MDBs and has been instrumental in shaping collective efforts, while respecting the institutional frameworks of each MDB.
MDBs as a group engage in key international fora such as G20, G7, United Nations, among others. The Viewpoint Note served as a strategic reference for global fora discussions and paved the way for today’s continued momentum.
The G20 Roadmap Towards Better, Bigger and More Effective MDBs, endorsed under the G20 Brazilian Presidency (2024), recognized the role of the Heads of MDBs Group and reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the role of MDBs in advancing sustainable economic growth.
Under the G20 South African Presidency (2025) the Heads of MDBs Group delivered the first Implementation Report on the G20 MDB Roadmap, enhancing both coordination and visibility of MDBs working as a system.