BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB, the Bank) is pleased to be part of the first-ever Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) Comparison Report 2025, a landmark publication that reaffirms the financial resilience, innovation, and global development impact of MDBs.
Produced jointly by 15 leading MDBs and coordinated by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), the report delivers an unprecedented, transparent assessment of MDBs’ financial health – including capital adequacy, liquidity, leverage, credit ratings, and risk management. The initiative directly responds to the G20’s call for greater comparability and accountability across the multilateral system.
The findings underscore CDB’s strong alignment with top-tier MDBs in capital strength, risk resilience, and financial innovation. They also highlight the bank’s proactive management of financial shocks and unwavering support for stability and sustainable growth in its borrowing member countries.
“The metrics augur well for CDB, our financial strength, and our ability to deliver for our borrowing members countries” said Daniel Best, CDB’s president. “We are proud to contribute to this global initiative, which enhances transparency and showcases our collective strength of MDBs as a system.”
According to the report, MDBs have successfully transformed over US$150 billion in paid-in capital into more than US$1.4 trillion in development assets, maximising shareholder contributions through efficient use of capital markets. This financial strength underpins MDBs’ ability to provide stable, low-cost financing to clients worldwide – even in challenging economic environments.
The report also highlights the sector’s global reach and regional impact, enabled by MDBs’ diverse mandates and collaborative spirit. Innovative tools – such as Exposure Exchange Agreements and shareholder-backed guarantees – are freeing up capital, reducing risk, and expanding MDBs’ capacity to deliver transformative development solutions.
Best added: “At CDB, we are committed to innovate, transform and thrive. From our recent Exposure Exchange Agreement to ongoing engagement with our shareholders and global partners, we continue to design instruments that boost lending capacity while safeguarding resilience.”
The 2025 MDBs Comparison Report marks a milestone in international financial cooperation, providing investors, credit rating agencies, member governments, and other stakeholders with a harmonised view of MDBs’ financial performance and development value. It also supports broader reforms to modernise capital adequacy frameworks and strengthen the effectiveness of the global multilateral finance system.
CDB reaffirms its commitment to resilience, and excellence and transparency, ensuring that Caribbean people continue to benefit from sustainable, high-impact investments.
