The Asian Development Bank issued a stark warning regarding the continent's economic outlook, noting that the pace of growth will experience a significant slowdown, reaching 5.1% this year. The bank attributed this decline to the deep negative impacts resulting from conflicts in the Middle East, which have driven up energy and shipping costs, casting a heavy shadow over the budgets of oil-importing Asian nations. The report stressed that the continuation of these tensions will exacerbate inflationary pressures within the continent, forcing Asian central banks to adopt stricter monetary measures. The ADB called on regional countries to enhance their economic resilience by diversifying energy sources and strengthening intra-regional trade to reduce reliance on vulnerable global supply chains.