ADB Highlights Legal Reforms to Unlock Agrifinance for Smallholders at APEC Workshop

On 8 October 2025 in Tokyo, ADB General Counsel Thomas Clark spoke at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Workshop on Secured Finance to Facilitate Sustainable Economic Growth and Improve Food Security, organized by the APEC Economic Committee. He emphasized the critical role of legal frameworks to enable the deployment of agricultural finance products, especially secured transaction laws to recognize movable assets as collateral, thereby helping smallholder farmers access credit. 

ADB General Counsel introduced the Agrifinance Toolkit, being developed by ADB's Law and Policy Reform Program, in partnership with the ADB Institute, International Law Institute, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, to guide policymakers and financial services providers on available agricultural finance products, relevant international legal instruments, and pathways to enable access to finance along the supply and value chains. This cross-sectoral initiative reflects ADB’s comprehensive approach to food systems transformation through policy support and finance.