Editing Asian Development Bank (section)

===2000s===

The early 2000s saw a dramatic expansion of private sector finance. While the institution had such operations since the 1980s (under pressure from the Reagan Administration) the early attempts were highly unsuccessful with low lending volumes, considerable losses and financial scandals associated with an entity named AFIC. However, beginning in 2002, the ADB undertook a dramatic expansion of private sector lending under a new team. Over the course of the next six years, the Private Sector Operations Department (PSOD) grew by a factor of 41 times the 2001 levels of new financings and earnings for the ADB. This culminated with the Board's formal recognition of these achievements in March 2008, when the board of directors formally adopted the Long Term strategic Framework (LTSF). That document formally stated that assistance to private sector development was the lead priority of the ADB and that it should constitute 50% of the bank's lending by 2020.

In 2003, the [[severe acute respiratory syndrome]] (SARS) epidemic hit the region and ADB responded with programs to help the countries in the region work together to address infectious diseases, including [[avian influenza]] and HIV/AIDS. ADB also responded to a multitude of natural disasters in the region, committing more than $850&nbsp;million for recovery in areas of India, Indonesia, [[Maldives]], and Sri Lanka which were impacted by the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami]]. In addition, $1&nbsp;billion in loans and grants was provided to the victims of the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan.<ref name="admin" />

In December 2005, China donated $20&nbsp;million to the ADB for a regional poverty alleviation fund; China's first such fund set up at an international institution.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zhao |first=Suisheng |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1332788951 |title=The dragon roars back : transformational leaders and dynamics of Chinese foreign policy |date=2023 |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |isbn=978-1-5036-3415-2 |location=Stanford, California |pages=70 |oclc=1332788951}}</ref>

In 2009, ADB's Board of Governors agreed to triple ADB's capital base from $55&nbsp;billion to $165&nbsp;billion, giving it much-needed resources to respond to the [[2008 financial crisis]]. The 200% increase is the largest in ADB's history, and was the first since 1994.<ref name="admin" />