Global Investors Eye ASEAN as UBS Highlights the Region's Economic Strength
Global investor interest in Southeast Asia has resurfaced at UBS OneASEAN Summit 2026 in Singapore. The annual forum brings together more than 850 institutional investors, policymakers, and industry leaders from various countries to discuss investment directions and the region’s economic dynamics heading into 2026.
UBS says Southeast Asia is increasingly regarded as a strategic region amid shifts in the global economic landscape. Relatively stable growth, large domestic markets, and strong integration into the global manufacturing value chain are factors drawing attention from international market participants.
“UBS OneASEAN Summit is a flagship conference that continues to show year-on-year growth,” said Nicolo Magni, Head of UBS Global Banking South-East Asia & South Asia, in a press release, Wednesday 4 March 2026.
“We expect deal momentum to remain strong throughout 2026, with capital market activity becoming more dynamic, particularly in the healthcare, real estate, and consumer sectors.”
“We forecast ASEAN-6 GDP growth to stand around 4.9 percent in 2026, reflecting a stabilising expansion phase,” said Grace Lim, Senior ASEAN and Asia Economist at UBS Investment Bank Global Research.
She explained that the region continues to benefit from integration into the global manufacturing value chain and the support of large domestic markets.
“Growth remains on track, with household consumption a major driver in Indonesia, rising private investment in Thailand and the Philippines, and technology-driven export resilience in Singapore and Malaysia,” Grace added.
Topics discussed include global trade imbalances, cross-regional investment opportunities in China, Japan, and Europe, gold and precious metal prospects, and developments in digital assets and artificial intelligence (AI) in the ASEAN region.
Additionally, the forum highlighted how the new energy system plays a role in sustaining an economy increasingly propelled by AI developments.
Several figures attended as speakers, including Indonesia’s Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara, Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations Brad Setser, and Alfred Schipke, Professor of the Practice of International Finance at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
Also present were Prof. Ken Jimbo of Keio University, Peter Conti-Brown of The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and British historian William Dalrymple.