Nikolai Podguzov becomes CEO of the Year as the EDB Wins Three Prestigious Awards at ADFIAP Annual Meeting 2025
Muscat, Oman, 25 April 2025. – The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and its Chairman of the Board, Nikolai Podguzov, have been recognized with three prestigious awards at the ADFIAP Annual Meeting 2025, including the event’s highest individual honor, "CEO of the Year", for Mr. Podguzov’s outstanding leadership in advancing economic development and regional integration across Central Asia. The ADFIAP Sustainable Development Awards held in Muscat, Oman, highlights the Bank’s outstanding contributions to sustainable development, technological innovation, and infrastructure advancement across Central Asia and beyond.
The most prestigious recognition of the event went to Nikolai Podguzov, Chairman of the EDB Board, for his exceptional leadership and transformative efforts in fostering economic growth and regional cooperation in Central Asia. This award underscores Mr. Podguzov’s pivotal role in extending the EDB’s project portfolio towards the critical challenges facing Central Asia, namely w the managing water-energy nexus, developing the Eurasian Transport Network and providing food security. ADFIAP also underscored the Bank’s leading role in providing non-sovereign lending that does not put burden on state finances as well as elevating EDB applied economic research to the leading position in the region.
In addition, the EDB received two project-specific awards:
1. Infrastructure Development Award – For the “Research Programme on Water and Energy Complex in Central Asia”, a strategic initiative addressing critical water and energy challenges while promoting sustainable water and land management in the region, cited by leaders of the EDB’s member states and used by institutions worldwide.
2. Technology Development Award – For the groundbreaking “Fund for Digital Initiatives – ATTILAN”, which has been instrumental in accelerating digital transformation, fostering innovation, and enhancing digital infrastructure across member states.
The award ceremony took place on April 24, 2025, during the ADFIAP Annual Meeting, a premier gathering of development financial institutions focused on sustainable and inclusive growth.
Nikolai Podguzov, Chairman of the EDB Board, commented: “These awards are a testament to the Eurasian Development Bank’s unwavering commitment to driving progress in our member states. We are honored to be recognized for our efforts in digital innovation, infrastructure development, and regional cooperation. These achievements reflect the hard work of our team and our partners in advancing sustainable and inclusive growth across Eurasia. And I quote a Kyrgyz saying: "The top of one mountain is always the base of the next." Today, we celebrate how far we have climbed together. Tomorrow, we continue our ascent toward an even more prosperous, connected Eurasia.”
Additional Information:
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is a multilateral development bank investing in Eurasia. For more than 18 years, the Bank has worked to strengthen and expand economic ties and foster comprehensive development in its member countries. By 2025, the EDB’s cumulative portfolio comprised 305 projects with a total investment of US $16.5 billion. The Bank's portfolio consists principally of projects with an integration effect in transport infrastructure, digital systems, green energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and mechanical engineering. The Bank’s operations are guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and ESG principles.
ADFIAP is the focal point of all development banks and other financial institutions engaged in the financing of development in the Asia-Pacific region. Its mission is to advance sustainable development through its members. Founded in 1976, ADFIAP has currently 90 member-institutions in 40 countries. ADFIAP is also a founding member of the World Federation of Development Financing Institutions composed of regional associations in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.
The EDB Chairman of the Management Board Nikolai Podguzov is on the ADFIAP Board of Directors. The Eurasian Development Bank is a Special Member of the Association.
The EDB Media Centre:
+7 (727) 244 40 44, ext. 6148 and 3730