The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Sunday launched a new financing scheme to help countries in Asia and the Pacific develop supply chains for critical minerals used in clean energy, batteries, electric vehicles, and digital technology. The scheme will help Asian countries prepare projects and finance infrastructure for the processing, manufacturing and recycling of critical minerals, the ADB said in a statement. "Asia and the Pacific should be more than a source of raw materials. The region should also capture the jobs, technology, and value these minerals provide," ADB President Masato Kanda said at the bank's annual meeting in Samarkand.