L Satya Srinivas Appointed as India’s Executive Director to Asian Development Bank (ADB).

On 14 September 2025, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the appointment of L Satya Srinivas, Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce (DoC), Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), as India’s Executive Director (ED) to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He succeeds Vikas Sheel.

      - L Satya Srinivas, a 1991-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, will serve in the position until his superannuation on 28 February 2026, and thereafter on a contract basis for a total tenure of three years from the date he assumes office or until further orders.

      - His appointment is significant as it breaks the traditional dominance of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers and economists at this high-level position in ADB, marking a rare representation from the IRS cadre.

      - In this role, he will not only represent India but also Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan on the ADB Board of Directors, strengthening regional cooperation within the multilateral bank.

Main Point :-   (i) Srinivas has played a pivotal role in India’s trade diplomacy, having been the chief negotiator for the e-commerce trade deal with the European Union (EU), and leading Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

      (ii) India remains a major stakeholder in the ADB, being the 4th largest shareholder and its biggest borrower after Japan, the United States, and China. As of April 2025, ADB has committed USD 59.5 billion in sovereign lending and USD 9.1 billion in non-sovereign investments to India.

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