From AI to Biotech: EDB Names the Likely New Waves of Investment Hype
Almaty, 7 April 2026. The Eurasian Development Bank has presented its report, Waves of Investment Megahype, which identifies the most likely directions of the next global wave of interest in new technologies. After digital, ESG, and AI, EDB analysts see biotechnology, robotics, and virtual reality among the most promising candidates for a new investment boom in the coming years.
Over the past few years, the global economy has already gone through several powerful investment waves. The peak of the digital boom came in 2021, the peak of interest in ESG in 2023, and the peak of interest in AI in 2025. At the same time, each new wave does not replace the previous one; it grows on its foundation: some technologies create the infrastructure, data, and demand for the next ones.
Looking ahead 20 years, EDB analysts identify seven most probable areas for major investment: biotechnology and longevity, robots and autonomous systems, quantum computing, virtual reality, energy storage and grids, climate technologies, and the space economy. In the nearer term, the authors see biotech, robotics, and virtual reality as the strongest candidates for a new wave.
The report pays particular attention to biotechnology. The reason is not only the size of its potential market, but also the fact that biotech may become part of the answer to one of the main challenges of the coming decades — labor shortages. As populations age, the ability to extend the period of healthy and productive life acquires increasing economic value.
According to EDB estimates, the global biotechnology market stood at about USD 1.9–2.2 trillion in 2024–2025 and could grow to nearly USD 5.9 trillion by 2034. Robotics also shows strong growth potential: the market could expand from USD 64.8 billion in 2025 to USD 376 billion by 2035. For virtual reality, estimates stand at about USD 75 billion in 2025 and up to USD 693 billion by 2035.
The authors also show the possible macroeconomic effect of longevity for the world’s largest economies. According to their calculations, one additional year of healthy and productive life could generate a significant cumulative GDP effect over 20 years: about USD 18.2 trillion for China, USD 15.1 trillion for the United States, and USD 2.8–3.4 trillion for Russia. This means that investments in healthcare, prevention of aging, and biotechnology could become not only a social priority, but also a major economic bet.
At the same time, every new technological wave brings not only opportunities but also the risk of excessive optimism. The report uses the concept of ‘creative self-deception’ — a situation in which the declared state of a technology visibly runs ahead of its actual maturity. This means that the key question for both investors and governments is not only how to identify a promising direction, but also how to correctly understand what stage of development it has reached.
In the new technological environment, the key resource is the ability to rapidly absorb and scale promising solutions. For developing economies, this means competition will be not only for capital, but also for speed of entry into new markets, for competencies, and for institutional readiness for the next growth cycle.
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The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is a multilateral development bank carrying out investment activities across the Eurasian region. For 20 years, the EDB has been contributing to the strengthening and expansion of economic ties and the comprehensive development of its member countries. By the end of December 2025, the EDB’s accumulated portfolio comprised 326 projects with a total investment volume of US$19.6 billion. The majority of the EDB’s portfolio consists of projects with an integration effect in the fields of transport infrastructure, digital systems, green energy, agriculture, industry and mechanical engineering. In its activities, the Bank is guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and ESG principles.
As part of its 2022–2026 Strategy, the EDB is implementing three mega-projects: the ‘Central Asian Water and Energy Complex’, the ‘Eurasian Transport Framework’ and the ‘Eurasian Commodity Transport Network’.
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