From volume to value: Making the most of South Asia's food sector Anup Jagwani June 16, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/agfood/from-volume-to-value--making-the-most-of-south-asia-s-food-secto South Asia's food economy is one of the largest in the world. Worth more than $700 billion annually, it employs hundreds of millions of people and feeds nearly a quarter of humanity. Yet much of its economic potential never reaches the market. Every year, more than 30 percent of food produced in the region is lost before it reaches consumers. At the same time, much of what does make it to market generates little value beyond the farm gate. The result is a food system that employs 43 percent of the workforce but contributes to only 16 percent of GDP.

Trade and Development Chart: Market share shifts in machinery exports Cristina ConstantinescuChristine McDaniel June 16, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/trade/chart-market-share-shifts-in-machinery-exports AI investment helped drive machinery trade (one of the fastest trade growth sectors) in 2025. China gained export share in emerging markets, while other East Asian economies strengthened their position in high-income markets.

Empowering South Asia with skills for a ‘green jobs’ future Andrés HamEmmanuel Jose VazquezMonica Yanez PagansCamilla KnudsenSaher Asad June 16, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/education/empowering-south-asia-with-skills-for-a-green-jobs-future The green transition is often viewed as disruptive but in South Asia the story is more nuanced. Our new paper, Occupational Mobility and Green Transition: A Stylized Estimation of Skill Investment Needs in South Asia, finds that many workers may not need to reinvent their careers to participate in a greener economy. In many cases, they need to adapt existing skills.

Coal’s unexpected comeback: Middle East conflict drives a return to coal power Paolo AgnolucciNikita Makarenko June 17, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/coal-s-unexpected-comeback--middle-east-conflict-drives-a-return This blog post is part of a special series based on the April 2026 Commodity Markets Outlook, a flagship report published by the World Bank. This series features concise summaries of commodity-specific sections extracted from the report.

A Milestone for Open Science: 500 Packages in the World Bank’s Reproducible Research Repository Maria JonesMaría Reyes Retana Torre June 17, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/impactevaluations/a-milestone-for-open-science--500-packages-in-the-world-bank-s-r This month, the World Bank’s Reproducible Research Repository (RRR) published its 500th reproducibility package—a milestone for open science and research transparency. Until a few years ago, finding the data and code behind a World Bank publication could be difficult: data citations were scarce, and code files, if published at all, were scattered across journal repositories, GitHub, and personal websites. RRR was created to change that by providing a single home for reproducibility packages associated with World Bank Group publications. As we mark this milestone, we’re reflecting on what the first 500 packages have taught us about making research more transparent, accessible, and reproducible in practice.

Protecting nature, protecting jobs, protecting portfolios: A practical guide for Malaysia’s financial sector Nepomuk DunzMartijn RegelinkMathilde Salin June 17, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/allaboutfinance/protecting-nature--protecting-jobs--protecting-portfolios--a-pra Malaysia's economy is built on nature. As one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries, it draws on some of the richest ecosystems on earth — for agricultural productivity, water supply, soil stability, and the raw materials that power its remarkable economic development. Yet the financial system that funds these activities has only just begun to grapple with what happens when those ecosystems degrade.

Extreme poverty: hard-won gains, new risks ahead Daniel Gerszon Mahler June 18, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/extreme-poverty--hard-won-gains--new-risks-ahead For decades, the world made remarkable progress in reducing extreme poverty. This transformation, driven in large part by economic growth, lifted more than a billion people out of poverty. But as the Atlas of Global Development 2026 shows, progress is slowing, and in some places, reversing.