ASEAN SARAWAK BUSINESS & ECONOMIC FORUM 2026

The ASEAN Sarawak Business & Economic Forum 2026 is convened under the theme From Strategy to Scale: Competing in a Fragmented Global Economy, marking a deliberate shift in regional priorities as ASEAN enters a more constrained, volatile, and contested global environment. The forum takes place at the beginning of Sarawak’s 13th Malaysia Plan period, when the emphasis has moved decisively from policy design to execution, delivery, and measurable outcomes.

The forum is grounded in the recognition that the conditions which underpinned ASEAN’s growth over the past two decades have fundamentally changed. Globalisation is fragmenting under geopolitical pressure, capital is more expensive and selective, technology access is increasingly shaped by strategic controls, and climate policy is now enforced through trade rules and market mechanisms rather than voluntary commitments. At the same time, rapid advances in artificial intelligence, data centres, and advanced manufacturing are driving a sharp increase in electricity demand, placing energy availability, grid reliability, and financing discipline at the core of economic competitiveness.

ASBEF 2026 is structured to address these realities directly. The programme focuses on scaling the energy transition under real constraints, advancing industrial policy in the age of AI and strategic supply chains, financing development in a capital-scarce environment, and managing climate policy as a determinant of market access and competitiveness. Each plenary session is designed to confront trade-offs, execution risks, and credibility gaps, rather than reaffirm long-term aspirations.

The forum is necessary because ASEAN and Sarawak are entering a phase where delays are costly and strategic missteps are difficult to reverse. ASBEF 2026 provides a focused platform for policymakers, investors, and business leaders to align on what must realistically be delivered by 2030, how to scale what works, and how to remain competitive in a global economy that is no longer open, predictable, or forgiving.

Forum Objectives
The forum aims to provide a high-level platform for policymakers, investors, and business leaders to confront the structural realities shaping the next phase of ASEAN’s development. It seeks to align public and private sector perspectives on energy transition under constraint, industrial policy in the context of AI and strategic supply chains, development finance in a world of tighter capital, and climate policy as a core competitiveness issue rather than a reputational exercise.