Unifying Markets for Shared Prosperity: ABIS 2025 Charts ASEAN’s Course Amidst Global Flux

The ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2025, held on October 25-26 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur, served as the region’s premier forum for charting an economic path forward. Hosted by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Malaysia, the Summit gathered over 2,000 delegates, including Presidents, Prime Ministers, CEOs, and global thought leaders, to address rising complexities under the theme: “Unifying Markets for Shared Prosperity”.

The theme reflects ASEAN’s urgent need to accelerate economic integration and strengthen its position as a resilient, fast-growing bloc, especially as the region confronts economic fragmentation, climate volatility, digital disruption, and widening inequality.

Global Leaders Anchor High-Stakes Dialogue

The event, held in conjunction with the ASEAN Summit, provided a high-level platform for the business community to engage directly with policymakers.

The summit was officially launched by The Honourable Datuk Amar Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, who delivered the Official Opening Keynote Address. The Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry of Malaysia, The Honourable Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz, emphasized that ASEAN must evolve “from resilience to relevance” by embracing inclusivity and sustainability.

The dialogue sessions featured a robust roster of global leaders, highlighting ASEAN’s geopolitical importance:

H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil.
The Rt. Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada.
H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa.
H.E. Phạm Minh Chính, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.
H.E. Suphajee Suthumpun, Minister of Commerce of Kingdom of Thailand.
The Rt Hon Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Premier of Sarawak
The Hon Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Malaysia and Chair of the ASEAN Economic Ministers 2025.
The Hon Liew Chin Tong, Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Malaysia.
The Hon Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Digital, Malaysia.
The Hon Senator Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry bin Abdul Kadir, Minister of Higher Education Malaysia.
Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Regional Development; Ports; Science and Innovation; Medical Research; Kimberley, Western Australia.
H.E. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Key Economic Pillars and Thematic Sessions

The comprehensive two-day program addressed the four overarching priorities of ASEAN-BAC 2025: enhancing trade and investment, deepening regional integration, building sustainable and inclusive growth, and accelerating technology-driven transformation.

1. Integration and Geo-Economics

The discussion on Geo-Economics focused on “Strengthening ASEAN Centrality in a Time of Geo-economic Fragmentation,” examining how the bloc must navigate a new world order to reinforce its centrality and withstand divisive pressures. The session also included a presentation on the Enhanced ASEAN Trade In Goods Agreement by H.E. Satvinder Singh, the ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community.

2. Finance and Investment

In a session on ASEAN Financial Markets, leaders discussed “Deepening Regional Banking and Capital Markets for ASEAN’s Future Growth”. The focus was on policy harmonization, financial innovation, and private sector participation to unlock cross-border investments for infrastructure and green transition projects. This was complemented by the Investments and Private Markets panel, which explored “Mobilising Long-Term Investment to Power ASEAN’s Next Growth Frontiers,” particularly channeling capital into private markets for venture and growth companies.

3. Sustainability and Energy Transition

Recognizing that sustainability is central to the region’s long-term growth, a dedicated panel addressed “Driving ASEAN’s Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy”. This was followed by the Energy Transition discussion, focusing on the ASEAN Power Grid. Discussions explored advancing robust investment frameworks and growing green financing to enable cross-border power sharing and secure a resilient, low-carbon energy system.

4. Digital Economy, AI, and Inclusion

Digital transformation and inclusivity were recurrent themes:

MSMEs and E-Commerce: The panel “Empowering ASEAN’s MSMEs to Thrive in the Digital Economy” addressed improving access to digital tools, marketplaces, and logistics to level the playing field for smaller businesses.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): A session titled “Al in Action: Driving Business Impact Across ASEAN” focused on turning AI’s potential into performance by scaling adoption across various sectors and enterprise sizes.
The Business of Education: Speakers explored “Educating ASEAN: Aligning Policy, Talent, and Innovation with Regional Growth,” stressing the need to modernize education systems to deliver future-ready talent for an AI-driven and digital economy.

5. Creative Economy and Philanthropy

ABIS 2025 also highlighted non-traditional economic drivers. The panel on Entertainment and the Creative Economy, “Going Global – Scaling ASEAN’s Entertainment and Creative Industries,” discussed building a thriving regional platform to support and export creative industries, noting the need for stronger ecosystems and IP protection. Additionally, a session was dedicated to the role of Philanthropy, exploring how development capital can be better integrated into national development agendas to build scalable, blended finance models.

Handover and Awards Ceremony

The Summit concluded on the evening of October 26 with the HANDOVER & LAUNCH CEREMONY. The Chairmanship of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council was officially handed over from Malaysia to the Philippines for 2026. The ABIS weekend culminated in the ASEAN Business Awards 2025 & Concert, honoring standout companies and entrepreneurs across the region. The awards included the presentation of the One ASEAN Startup Award, recognising groundbreaking startups in the high-priority sectors of zero-emission technology and artificial intelligence.