NDB (New Development Bank)

The New Development Bank (NDB) is a multilateral development bank established in 2015 by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (the BRICS nations) to mobilise resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging economies, with headquarters in Shanghai and cumulative project approvals of approximately $39 billion.

What is the NDB?

The NDB was created as an alternative multilateral financing institution, emphasising local currency financing, borrower-country ownership, and sustainable infrastructure. Membership has expanded beyond the original five BRICS founders to include Bangladesh, the UAE, Egypt, and Uruguay, with further countries in accession discussions. Annual approvals run approximately $5 to $8 billion, making the NDB smaller than the World Bank or ADB but a meaningful and growing source of project finance.

NDB-financed projects follow borrower-executed procurement in the same pattern as other multilateral development banks. Borrowers use the bank's procurement framework to competitively award contracts for goods, works, and consulting services. Tender notices appear on the NDB's project pages at ndb.int. The portfolio size is small enough that manual monitoring of ndb.int is practical without automated tools, making it accessible for suppliers who cannot sustain broad MDB coverage. The aiib-asian-infrastructure-investment-bank is a comparable newer MDB with similar growth dynamics and open eligibility rules.

Why the NDB matters for bidders

The NDB's relatively small portfolio means less competition per tender compared to the World Bank or ADB. For suppliers with relevant infrastructure or sustainable development expertise, early-mover positioning in the NDB pipeline is particularly valuable because the bank is still scaling up and relationships established now can persist across multiple project cycles. The emphasis on local currency financing makes NDB projects attractive to governments in member countries, which is expanding the pipeline. Suppliers from any country may generally participate in NDB-financed procurement.

FAQ

Who are the NDB's member countries?

The founding members are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Bangladesh, the UAE, Egypt, and Uruguay have since joined, and the bank continues to expand its membership.

How large is the NDB compared to the World Bank?

The NDB approves roughly $5 to $8 billion annually, making it significantly smaller than the World Bank, which lends at a multiple of that volume. The NDB's portfolio is growing year on year.

Where are NDB tender notices published?

Procurement notices are published on the NDB's website at ndb.int on a project-by-project basis. The portfolio volume makes manual monitoring of this portal feasible.