The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is an international development finance institution investing in the development of the economies, trade and other economic ties, and integration in Eurasian countries. The EDB was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The Bank has a branch in St. Petersburg and representative offices in Nur-Sultan, Bishkek, Dushanbe, Yerevan, Minsk, and Moscow. The founding of the Eurasian Development Bank on 12 January 2006 was initiated by the Presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan. It began operating in June 2006. Armenia and Tajikistan joined the EDB in 2009, Belarus in 2010, and the Kyrgyz Republic in 2011. In January 2013, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development recognised the EDB as a multilateral financial institution.