Kuala lumpur: ASEAN offers immense opportunities for impactful investment as leaders in business and government have been leaning in for greater regional integration, said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour. He noted that with Malaysia chairing ASEAN this past year, the region has seen unprecedented interest beyond trade, with growing interest in investment and strategic partnerships.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Abdul Rasheed emphasized that rising risk premia in the West amid the changing geopolitical landscape and new trade linkages, combined with Southeast Asia’s growth trajectory, make ASEAN markets increasingly attractive. He highlighted that some markets in the region, including Malaysia, can serve as safe launchpads due to their stability and financial depth, which helps de-risk innovation.

AVPN, Asia’s largest network of social and impact investors aiming to drive capital towards impactful investments for social change across the region, hosted the AVPN Global Conference 2025 in Hong Kong, where Abdul Rasheed delivered his keynote address. He stated that ASEAN is becoming a central chapter towards Asia’s economic growth, emerging as a steady source of growth in an increasingly uncertain and multipolar world.

ASEAN is already the world’s fifth-largest economy with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US$3.9 trillion, projected to exceed US$5 trillion before 2030. This economic size is expected to place ASEAN behind only the United States, China, and Germany by the end of the decade. A growing population of 670 million people with a median age of 30 years old, and the addition of over 130 million middle-class consumers, underpin this momentum.

Despite challenges such as financial crises, pandemics, and a shifting global order, ASEAN has demonstrated resilience in its growth, with GDP growing at an average of 4.8 percent over the past two decades. Abdul Rasheed noted that this resilience positions ASEAN at the heart of global supply chains, spanning agro-commodities, semiconductors, natural resources, and emerging industries such as batteries.

Asia contributes over 60 percent of global growth, and intra-Asia trade now surpasses trade between Asia and the rest of the world. This trend is expected to continue, with an anticipated increase of US$400 billion annually in the coming years.