Asia is entering a defining phase of acceleration - where influence is moving fast across geopolitics, markets and technology. From shifting power dynamics and evolving growth pathways to rapid digital expansion, the region is shaping the forces that will define the global economy.
Reuters NEXT Asia brings together leaders in Singapore - at the heart of this momentum - to interpret change, connect the signals and bring the force’s shaping Asia’s trajectory into focus.
Powered by Reuters’ award-winning global newsroom, Reuters NEXT Asia delivers trusted, independent intelligence, connecting these dynamics into one strategic picture and equipping leaders to understand where influence is building, how it is moving and what it means for what comes next.
Join us where Asia’s momentum turns into direction.
Asia’s geopolitical landscape is being reshaped by intensifying rivalries, rising middle powers, and shifting alliances. As the U.S.-China competition deepens and regional flashpoints from the South China Sea to the Korean Peninsula remain volatile, governments must navigate a complex web of diplomacy, defence, and economic strategy. Asia’s leaders are tasked with responding to growing security risks, digital warfare, and climate-driven instability – all while forging new coalitions to shape the region’s future.
Asia’s growth story is entering a new phase. One marked by trade tensions, slowing major economies, and uneven recovery across the region. As global markets fragment and domestic demand softens, business and policy leaders must rethink competitiveness, investment strategies, and innovation pathways. However, India’s expanding consumer base, China’s strategic recalibration and ASEAN’s adaptability offer fresh growth paths. How will bold choices and regional realignment shape Asia’s economic future?
Asia’s financial sector is under pressure from China’s economic slowdown, rising household debt, and shifting trade dynamics. As digital disruption, AI adoption, and climate risk accelerate change, the region also faces mounting regulatory complexity and cybersecurity threats. Yet new opportunities are emerging, from expanding green finance and digital inclusion to cross-border innovation and fintech partnerships. How can financial leaders shape a thriving, inclusive, and future-ready financial system?
Asia’s tech sector is accelerating fast, but faces rising complexity. Fragmented cloud ecosystems, digital sovereignty policies, AI governance gaps, and talent shortages challenge innovation across diverse markets. But the agile digital economies, emerging tech hubs, and growing demand for scalable, ethical AI present powerful opportunities. As synthetic content and autonomous agents reshape industries, what are the public-private priorities to build resilient systems for Asia’s digital future?
Corporate leaders in Asia are being tested by shifting global influence, rapid technological change, and rising stakeholder expectations. Executives must navigate geopolitical uncertainty, fragmented regulation, and talent shortages while adapting to evolving governance demands and digital transformation. At the same time, Asia’s expanding innovation ecosystems, growing consumer markets, and sustainability momentum offer new pathways for impact. How can businesses lead with clarity and courage in an era of reinvention?
CEO
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CISO (Chief Information Security Officer)
COO (Chief Operating Officer)
Chief Sustainability Officer
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Chief Growth Officer
Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
Group Chief Information Officer
Group Chief Operating Officer
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Vice Chairman
Building a better world demands that we re-evaluate our understanding of business, policy, and society today. Co-curated with Reuters’ award-winning newsroom, NEXT Asia will challenge global leaders, innovators and CEOs to think differently and act boldly on the issues that matter most.
From AI and climate to markets and leadership, the World Stage will host powerful interviews and dynamic panels, broadcast live to millions around the globe.
Collaborate with your peers through invitation-only interactive roundtables and workshop sessions running alongside the World Stage, led by experts and executives. Delve into industry-defining challenges and opportunities on the horizon.
All interactive sessions are held under the Chatham House Rule.
These conversations will be held under the Trust Principles.
China remains one of the most consequential, and challenging forces shaping the global landscape. From navigating opaque data and shifting policy signals to reporting on sensitive political and economic developments, Reuters journalists work at the intersection of accuracy, speed, and safety. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look as at how senior Reuters correspondents translate complexity into clarity, and the everyday editorial decisions that shape the world’s share how we approach coverage of China’s economy, markets, and geopolitics, the hurdles we face, and the opportunities for deeper insight – everyday editorial decisions that shape the world’s understanding of China at a time of shifting influence and heightened security.
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
Geopolitical tensions, fast‑moving AI adoption and rising climate threats are among some of the risks reshaping the global operating environment. This session breaks down the risk trends that matter most this year and their potential impact on business resilience and competitiveness, in a landscape defined by compressed timelines and harder trade-offs. How can business leaders build adaptive organizations, strengthen operational resilience and maintain strategic clarity as uncertainty accelerates?
This session is in partnership with Marsh Asia.
Asia's financial markets are being reshaped by shifting economics, geopolitical fragmentation and a pivot toward private credit and infrastructure, as capital flows reprice risk and redefine influence across the region. As firms across China, India, Japan and ASEAN seek alternative financing, private credit is becoming a core pillar of capital, reshaping how growth is financed and where opportunity concentrates. This session asks where the next decade of value will come from as investors recalibrate China exposure, Japan unleashes governance reforms, India and ASEAN deepen their markets, and global investors recalibrate China exposure while lines blur between private equity, private credit and growth.
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
From tokenized securities to blockchain-based settlement, institutional adoption of digital assets is accelerating across Asia’s financial hubs. This session examines how investors and institutions are adapting portfolios to incorporate digital assets while frameworks continue to develop and evolve. And where is Asia building momentum as a driver of innovation?
This session is in partnership with event sponsors.
Facing mounting pressure to rethink risk and accelerate innovation, corporates are turning to AI as a critical lever for resilience and competitive advantage. We discuss how organisations can embed AI into mission-critical systems without disrupting operations, while building the infrastructure and governance needed to scale with confidence? And look at how early movers are converting AI capabilities into sustained competitive momentum in a volatile environment.
This session is in partnership with FWD.
Sovereign wealth funds’ allocation decisions often signal that risk has been priced and opportunities are sufficiently durable for the long term, offering a view on where confidence is building across regions and sectors. Regional sovereign investors discuss how they are rethinking geography, asset classes and time horizons - and what their choices reveal about the next phase of growth in Asia and beyond.
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
China’s energy transition is reshaping the fundamentals of global competition. As the world’s largest energy system shifts toward electrification, renewables, and new infrastructure, the implications extend far beyond the energy sector. This interactive workshop provides a clear, executive-level overview of where China’s energy transition stands today, and why it matters for leaders across industries.
Join this session to:
• Learn how business models and ecosystems are evolving around new energy systems
• Examine real company examples to surface the key shifts leaders need to understand now and the strategic choices they will soon face
• Understand the implications of China’s energy transition on your organisation
Leading companies across Asia are starting to actively shape the future of work with AI. This session explores how organisations are redesigning jobs, embedding AI into core operations, and investing in in large-scale reskilling. Drawing on real world experience, the discussion explores what it means to be “future ready” in 2026 and how corporate strategy is driving workforce transformation.
Join this session to:
• Understand how leading companies are deploying AI at scale while rethinking workforce strategy.
• Examine the trade offs between automation, inclusion and long term talent sustainability.
• Explore how businesses can shape broader workforce ecosystems through partnerships and responsible AI deployment
AI governance across Southeast Asia is evolving rapidly with countries pursuing different approaches, ranging from voluntary guidelines to binding regulation. In addition, governments are increasingly treating AI as critical national infrastructure. These various governance paths create a complex operating environment for businesses managing cross border data, compliance and deployment decisions across multiple jurisdictions. This interactive workshop provides a practical overview of the current Southeast Asian AI governance landscape and what it means for leaders navigating opportunity amid diverging approaches.
Join this session to:
• Understand the landscape of various AI governance models across Southeast Asia
• Examine real business experiences to surface compliance and cross-border operational risks.
• Explore what regional frameworks, including ASEAN’s Digital Economy Framework Agreement, need to deliver from a business perspective
Many organisations have shown that AI can deliver value in pilots. The next challenge and opportunity is embedding AI reliably into core systems and everyday workflows at enterprise scale. This closed‑door roundtable brings together senior technology leaders to focus on how organisations are overcoming system complexity, redesigning workflows and building confidence in AI‑assisted outputs, in order to move from experimentation to durable, repeatable enterprise capability.
Invitation-only session for executives responsible for AI enterprise implementation, held under the Chatham House Rule.
Many asset owners have strengthened portfolios through diversification and scenario analysis. The next challenge is sustaining resilience when uncertainty is prolonged and traditional assumptions are repeatedly tested. This closed-door discussion brings together asset owners and a small group of institutional peers to focus on how portfolios, governance processes and decision-making structures are being adapted to operate effectively in unsettled markets. The conversation will explore the ways in which organisations enable teams to act with greater speed, discipline and confidence as volatility becomes a structural feature rather than a temporary shock.
Invitation-only session for asset owners, held under the Chatham House Rule.
Reuters NEXT is a fantastic place for leaders to gather to share ideas on such a variety of topics. Whether that's AI, the future of the workforce, how we see the global economy. That ability to both hear from world leading speakers from such a variety of areas, but also to connect with people who you may not connect with on a normal basis to share ideas and to share opportunities for growth.
