Events / Info / Philanthropy Asia Summit 2026

Philanthropy Asia Summit 2026

18 – 20 May 2026 Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands Singapore

    Asian Innovation. Global Good.

     

    The sixth Philanthropy Asia Summit will spotlight Asian innovations with global potential, showcasing cross-cutting partnerships that translate intention into action. Through daily keynotes, panels, innovation showcases, and immersive impact journeys, PAS 2026 will explore how science, technology, innovative financing, and cross-sector collaboration can drive bold solutions in climate, health, and inclusive development.

     

     

    Attendance is by invitation only – reach out to [email protected] to request an invitation.


    Agenda

    17:30 - 20:30
    17:30 - 20:30 Closed-door event
    Welcome Reception

    The sixth Philanthropy Asia Summit opens the evening before with a private gathering for members, partners, and speakers. Housed within the iconic Temasek Shophouse, a century-old heritage building in the heart of Singapore, the reception brings the community together for an opening address by Desmond Kuek, CEO of Temasek Trust, followed by dinner, conversation, and entertainment.

    09:00 - 17:30
    09:00 - 15:45 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Plenary

    Asia's role in shaping practical responses to Climate, Health, and Inclusive Development challenges depends on how well it can galvanise coordination across sectors. Public, private, and philanthropic leaders each bring distinct strengths, and progress emerges when those strengths align around shared priorities.

    The plenary convenes these leaders to move from sector-specific insights towards systemic implementation. Through keynotes, panels, and showcases, the plenary sessions will examine how capital and collaboration drive outcomes at scale, and how philanthropy can work alongside government and business to turn dialogue into delivery. 

    09:20 - 09:35 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Opening Remarks

    • Edmund Koh Chairman, Philanthropy Asia Alliance
    09:35 - 09:50 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Keynote | The Health Agenda

    The gains in global health over recent decades are more fragile than they appear. This keynote examines the converging pressures of climate change, eroding trust, and shrinking funding, and why the response demands closer alignment across sectors than ever before. 

    • Dr Soumya Swaminathan Chairperson, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation
    09:50 - 10:20 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Panel | Farm to Fever: One Health, Right Now

    Climate change is reshaping disease patterns across Asia in ways that demand coordinated intervention. Antimicrobial resistance, vector-borne diseases, pandemic risks, and heat stress are all intensifying, and the region's density and interconnectedness make it particularly exposed.

    The One Health approach offers a holistic frame for a response, connecting human, animal, and environmental health as parts of a single system. Yet, such systemic pathways remain under-prioritised. The session examines how philanthropy-backed One Health solutions can protect communities as these pressures mount.

    • Dr Claus Runge Senior Vice President, Global Head of Public Affairs, Sustainability & Internal Engagement and Chief Health Equity Officer, Bayer
    • Hari Menon President, Global Growth and Opportunity, Gates Foundation
    • Dr Marina Romanello Executive Director, Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, University College London
    • Prof Ramanan Laxminarayan Founder and President, One Health Trust
    10:40 - 11:00 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Coffee Break

    11:00 - 11:15 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Keynote | The Inclusive Development Agenda

    Good health does not begin at birth. Drawing on the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) study, this keynote makes the case for investing earlier, and further back in the family, to give every child the conditions they need to thrive. 

    • Dr Yap Seng Chong Dean, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
    11:15 - 11:45 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Panel | Baby to 80: Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives

    Wellbeing is a lifelong arc, shaped by support at critical moments along the way. Early childhood lays the foundation for future potential, while later years reveal whether communities can build on that foundation under societal stresses such as urban isolation and rising toll on mental health. 

    The session explores how public, private, and philanthropic partners can better support underserved communities across Asia, with a focus on the earliest and later stages of life.  

    • Dr Brian Kennedy Director, Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University Health System
    • Neerja Birla Founder and Chairperson, Aditya Birla Education Trust
    • Dr Pia Rebello Britto Director, UNICEF
    • Wilson White Vice President, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google
    • Laura Herman (Moderator) Partner, Global Lead Responsible Business Practice, Dalberg Advisors
    12:15 - 13:30 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Lunch Break

    14:00 - 14:15 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Keynote | The Climate Agenda

    Energy and food systems sit at the center of Asia's growth momentum. How the region produces power and cultivates food over the coming decades will shape its competitiveness, resilience, and environmental footprint, with consequences reaching far beyond its borders.

    The session explores pathways for a more distributed and just energy transition alongside sustainable food production that reduces strain on natural resources. The focus is on how capital, partnerships, and coordination can translate these connected shifts into outcomes at scale.

    14:15 - 14:45 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Panel | Soil to Sea: Feeding the Future

    Energy and food systems sit at the center of Asia's growth momentum. How the region produces power and cultivates food over the coming decades will shape its competitiveness, resilience, and environmental footprint, with consequences reaching far beyond its borders.

    The session explores pathways for a more distributed and just energy transition alongside sustainable food production that reduces strain on natural resources. The focus is on how capital, partnerships, and coordination can translate these connected shifts into outcomes at scale.

    • Anuj Maheshwari Head, Agri-Food, Temasek
    • Elizabeth Yee Executive Vice President, Programs, The Rockefeller Foundation
    • Woochong Um CEO, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet
    • Dr Yvonne Pinto Director General, International Rice Research Institute
    15:05 - 15:50 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    The Philanthropic Agenda

    Philanthropy is evolving as the challenges it addresses become more systemic and responses require working across sectors and geographies. Long-standing arrangements between public, private, and philanthropic spheres are giving way to new forms of collaboration.

    Leaders from Asia, the Middle East, and the United States join for a candid dialogue on how the field is evolving. The discussion draws on personal journeys to explore what leadership looks like when collaboration defines how to drive lasting change.

    • Shamina Singh Executive Vice President, Sustainability and President, Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth
    • Siddharth Sharma CEO, Tata Trusts
    • Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki Managing Director, Yayasan Hasanah
    16:00 - 17:30 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Networking Reception

    07:30 - 14:00
    07:30 - 09:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Breakfast Session: Philanthropy as Risk Capital: Insights from Asia

    Anchored by Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS)

    This breakfast session will launch a new report exploring how Asian philanthropists can deploy their resources as risk capital — funding that embraces uncertainty to unlock significant social impact. The session aims to raise awareness of risk capital as a viable path to impact, inform Asian philanthropists on how to deploy it effectively, and inspire funders with the opportunities that bold, catalytic giving can unlock.

    The session will open with a presentation of key report findings, followed by a moderated panel discussion featuring funders and recipients from across Asia who have pioneered approaches to maximising philanthropy as risk capital.

    • Carol Liew Managing Director, ECCA Family Foundation
    • Kithmina Hewage Director of Policy Engagement, Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society
    • Max Nelen Founder and CEO, Agros
    • Ryan Tan Head, Catalytic Capital for Climate & Health (C3H)
    • Siddharth Sharma CEO, Tata Trusts
    • Trihadi Saptoadi Chairman of the Executive Board, Tahija Foundation
    • Dr Ruth A. Shapiro (Moderator) CEO, Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society
    07:30 - 09:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Breakfast Session: Science, Partnerships and Philanthropy: Investing in Scientific Capacity for Asia’s Tropical Ecosystems

    Anchored by Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

    Asia contains some of the planet’s most biodiverse and ecologically significant regions, from expansive tropical forests to nearly one third of the world’s coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass ecosystems. Because of this extraordinary natural wealth, the region will play a crucial role in meeting global goals related to carbon neutrality, biodiversity conservation, and long-term climate resilience. Scaling effective nature-based solutions require rigorous scientific research, strong cross-sector partnerships, sustained investment, and trusted data systems that support informed decision-making and reduce risk for funders and policymakers.

    The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) advances this mission through long-term research across tropical geographies, generating the data, insights, and collaborations needed to move solutions from science to implementation. Initiatives such as GEOTREES, which is creating the first equitably developed biomass reference system for forest carbon monitoring, and the Adrienne Arsht Community Based Resilience Solutions Initiative, which integrates social and ecological knowledge to strengthen marine conservation, demonstrate how scientific infrastructure can unlock scalable climate and biodiversity solutions.

    This session will convene scientists, policymakers, and philanthropic leaders to explore how investments in long-term scientific research, data systems, and regional partnerships can unlock scalable nature-based solutions across Asia, while highlighting opportunities for collaboration and shared learning across sectors.

    • Dr Ana Spalding Director, Smithsonian Resilience Initiative, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
    • Dr Estradivari Postdoctoral Researcher, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT)
    • Dr Stuart Davies Director, ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
    09:30 - 11:00 Closed-door event
    Partner Event | Breakfast Session: Mobilising Philanthropy for Climate Action in Asia

    Anchored by Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology Foundation (SEE Foundation)

    Asia is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, fueling an escalating climate emergency of rising sea levels and intensifying extreme weather events. While philanthropic capital in the region is growing, the majority remains directed toward traditional sectors—leaving climate solutions critically underfunded.

    This gathering brings together philanthropists, family offices, and corporate leaders from China and across Asia to bridge the gap between established giving priorities and the urgency of climate action. Through facilitated dialogue and knowledge exchange between global and Asian funders, the session aims to inspire scalable, regionally relevant strategies that harness the power of philanthropy to build a sustainable and equitable future for Asia.

    10:00 – 14:00 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    Innovation Spotlight

    Held as part of the Innovation Showcase, the Innovation Spotlight is a curated session that convenes over 30 innovators, startups, and social enterprises advancing solutions across climate, health, and inclusive development.

    Bringing together partners and organisations from across the global impact ecosystem, the Innovation Spotlight highlights cutting-edge approaches, technologies, and models that are translating innovation into real-world impact, featuring keynote sessions from Tencent, Google Deepmind, and BRIN (Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency).

    11:00 – 12:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | From Innovation to Institution: Scaling for Inclusive Futures

    Anchored by Tanoto Foundation

    Across Asia, governments and partners are grappling with how to address complex societal challenges, ranging from poverty and health inequities to climate resilience, at a scale that delivers lasting impact. While there are many promising pilots and innovations, too many struggle to translate into system-wide change.

    This session is positioned as a thought leadership dialogue on systems change at scale, through an Inclusive Development lens. It explores what it takes to move beyond isolated projects towards approaches that are embedded within public systems, aligned with policy, institutionalised through delivery mechanisms, and sustained through partnerships.

    Foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) will be used as a concrete example, illustrating how a pressing societal challenge can be tackled through systems-oriented strategies. The dialogue will reflect on how philanthropy, governments, and multilaterals have worked together to elevate FLN from a programme-level concern to a system-wide priority, and what broader lessons this offers for inclusive development more generally.

    11:00 – 12:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | From Payment for Goods to Payment for Good: Digital Giving in Southeast Asia

    Anchored by Tech for Good Institute & Ant International Foundation

    Southeast Asia is characterised by exceptional generosity, anchored in long-standing cultural traditions such as gotong-royong (mutual assistance) and bayanihan (communal cooperation), as well as the region’s diverse religious traditions. Yet the region faces a striking paradox: the gross transaction value of digital payments is forecast to reach between USD 2.1 and 2.4 trillion by 2030, and 71% of the population frequently uses digital payments for goods, yet digital payments for ‘good’ still lag significantly.

    This ‘digital giving paradox’ suggests that the issue is not technology itself, but persistent barriers, including trust deficits, regulatory constraints, capacity gaps in the nonprofit sector, and behavioural frictions. In this session, the Tech for Good Institute (TFGI), with funding from the Ant International Foundation (AIF) will launch its exploratory study titled "From Payment for Goods to Payment for Good: Digital Giving in Southeast Asia." The report maps the digital giving landscape across the region, identifies barriers and enablers, and offers actionable recommendations for nonprofits, donors, and regulators.

    11:00 – 12:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | From Green to Thrive: Scaling Community-Based Clean Energy Solutions in Asia

    Anchored by Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet

    Asia accounts for nearly half of global emissions and is projected to drive most future energy demand, making its energy transition critical to global climate outcomes. For this transition to succeed, it must also deliver livelihoods, resilience, and inclusive growth, especially in rural, island, and peri-urban communities where unreliable energy access continues to limit opportunity.

    Community-based clean energy solutions can provide affordable, reliable power where people live and work, enabling productive uses such as irrigation, cold storage, and small enterprises. Yet these projects often struggle to access conventional financing due to their small scale and dispersed nature.

    Co-hosted by The Sunrise Project, AVPN, Tri-sector Associates, and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, this session will explore how innovative financing, catalytic capital, and cross-sector partnerships can unlock scale. The discussion will focus on accelerating clean energy solutions in Asia, while keeping communities and sustainable livelihoods at the center.

    • Aldy Permana Associate Campaign Director, Purpose
    • Danny Kennedy Senior Adviser, Sunrise Project
    • Li Lang Heng Head, Climate and Liveability, Temasek Foundation
    • Sophia Cheng Chair, Asia Investor Group on Climate Change
    • Woochong Um CEO, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet
    • Dex Chen (Moderator) Deputy CEO, Tri-Sector Associates
    11:00 – 12:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Catalysts for Change: Cross-Sector Partnerships for Disability Inclusion in Southeast Asia

    Anchored by The Nippon Foundation

    This session explores how cross-sector partnerships can catalyse disability inclusion in Southeast Asia, particularly in education and employment. While disability inclusion has often been siloed, this session highlights how organisations outside the disability sector—such as foundations and innovation platforms—have engaged in this space through collaboration with The Nippon Foundation.

    Speakers will share their journeys into disability inclusion, the challenges they aim to address, and the value of partnership and co-funding mechanisms. By showcasing real cases of collaboration, the session aims to inspire broader engagement and demonstrate practical pathways for organisations to participate in inclusive development.

    Participants will gain insights into partnership models, funding approaches, and opportunities to collaborate, support, or scale impactful initiatives in the region.

    • Makoto Wada (Moderator) Programme Director, The Nippon Foundation
    12:00 - 13:30 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Lunch Session: The Cost of Inaction: Unlocking Bankable Supplier Decarbonisation in Asia

    Anchored by Apparel Impact Institute & HSBC

    Apparel supply chains face growing financial exposure from climate-related cost pressures, particularly across energy systems, carbon regulation, and raw material volatility. Yet while the business case for supplier decarbonisation is becoming clearer, many projects still struggle to secure financing at the pace and scale required.

    This session, co-hosted by Apparel Impact Institute and HSBC, will build on the findings of Aii’s recent Cost of Inaction (COI) report to explore how supplier decarbonisation can become more bankable across Asia’s manufacturing hubs. The discussion will focus on practical financing pathways to accelerate renewable energy, electrification, and other proven solutions at supplier level, with particular attention to blended capital approaches that combine philanthropic, concessional, and commercial finance.

    Bringing together leaders from finance, philanthropy, and industry, the session will examine what is needed to move from climate ambition to investable implementation.

    12:00 - 13:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    The Science Agenda

    Scientific breakthroughs reach communities when the partnerships, funding, and pathways to scale are in place. Without these, even the most promising innovations risk delivering proof of concept rather than proof of impact.

    Scientists, innovators, and thought leaders take the stage to share how their work is making a difference today. From coral restoration and carbon sequestration to vaccine development and AI-enabled healthcare, the conversation explores what it takes to move science into practice across Asia.

    • Prof David M. Baker Director, Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong
    • Dr Ya-Qin Zhang Dean and Chair Professor, Tsinghua University
    • Dr Zishuai Bill Zhang Assistant Professor, College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Peking University
    13:00 - 14:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    The Business Agenda

    ESG has entered a new phase. Early ambitions around climate action and social equity set important direction, and the focus now is on translating those commitments into measurable outcomes that hold up to scrutiny.

    This intimate session brings together business leaders to examine what a more focused and credible approach for ESG looks like. The discussion will unpack why ESG 1.0 fell short and explore how a more focused, credible, and outcomes driven approach can re-energise ESG as a source of innovation, resilience, and long-term value creation.

    • Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara CEO, Temasek Holdings
    • Dominic Barton Chair, Rio Tinto
    • Noni Purnomo President Commissioner, Bluebird Group Holding
    • Rajeev Peshawaria (Moderator) CEO, Stewardship Asia Centre
    14:00 - 17:30
    14:00 – 15:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Energy, Lives, and a World in Flux: What This Moment Means for Asia

    Anchored by Tara Climate Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and the Just Energy Transition Community

    Across Asia, the growing urgency around energy is laying bare just how foundational energy has always been — to every outcome that matters. As pressure builds across Asia's energy systems, the reach into everyday life grows: the farmer who can't store or process her harvest, the fisher whose catch spoils before it reaches market, the student who can't study after dark.

    This session brings that picture into the open. Through honest conversation between practitioners at the frontlines and funders who are supporting this effort, we trace how energy is shaping everyday life across the region — from agriculture in the Philippines to coastal fisheries in Indonesia, from small enterprises to community institutions. Together, funders and practitioners will take stock of just how deeply clean energy threads through many of the issues we’re trying to solve – and why meeting the everyday need for reliable electricity can unlock economic productivity, scale clean solutions, widen access, and expand livelihoods and opportunities.

    • Woochong Um CEO, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet
    • Jamie Choi (Moderator) CEO, Tara Climate Foundation
    14:00 – 15:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Women’s Health Innovation: Unlocking Global Prosperity

    Anchored by Global Center for Asian Women's Health, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

    Women’s health is one of the most underinvested yet high-impact frontiers in global health and economic development. Despite women representing half of the global population and driving the majority of healthcare decisions, significant gaps persist across research, funding, and innovation, limiting both health outcomes and economic potential.

    In Asia, these challenges are particularly acute. The region is experiencing a rising burden of conditions such as infertility, gestational diabetes, cancer, and age-related diseases, yet investment and innovation have not kept pace. Even in advanced health systems, disparities remain: for example, women live longer than men but spend a greater proportion of their lives in poor health. At the same time, critical gaps in sex-disaggregated data and lifecycle-based research continue to constrain the development of effective, targeted solutions.

    This disconnect presents a substantial opportunity. The global Femtech market is projected to reach approximately USD 100 billion by 2030, with Southeast Asia emerging as a high-growth region. More broadly, closing the women’s health gap could unlock an estimated USD 1 trillion in global GDP annually.

    This session will examine the structural barriers underpinning these gaps, from research and data limitations to underinvestment and fragmented innovation ecosystems, while highlighting the growing market opportunity in women’s health. It will also explore how coordinated global efforts, including collaborations with the World Economic Forum on the Women’s Health Impact Tracking Platform and Centre for Women’s Health innovation, can better connect research, capital, and implementation to accelerate scalable solutions. Positioned at the intersection of science, investment, and systems change, the discussion will consider how Singapore and Asia can play a catalytic role in shaping the future of women’s health globally.

    14:00 – 15:00 Closed-door event
    Partner Event | Nourishing Prosperity: Scaling Nutrition Finance for Sustainable Development

    Anchored by Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)

    This session will explore the strategic mobilisation of capital to address the global nutrition crisis, with a focus on maternal and child health across Asia. We will showcase and discuss various innovative financial instruments—from blended finance to the Child Nutrition Fund’s match-funding model— and how they can de-risk investments and attract private sector funding. We will also showcase investment opportunities, be it through food fortification and RUTF manufacturing or local capacity building of community health workers serving mothers and children. This session will invite attendees to be part of a powerful coalition of funders dedicated to reshaping the future of nutrition in Asia.

    14:00 – 15:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Startup to Scale Up: Accelerating the Deployment of Climate Solutions in Asia

    Anchored by HSBC

    This focused session explores how catalytic capital, creative financing, partnerships, and region-specific resources can unlock high-impact climate solutions across Southeast Asia’s hardest-to-abate sectors. Through short, practical presentations and a solutions-oriented panel, audience members will gain actionable insight into attracting early-stage climate companies, capital-stack design, nature-based opportunities, and structures that de-risk and scale climate projects in the region. The program highlights real-world examples and pathways to mobilize additional private and corporate capital alongside government momentum. 

    14:00 – 15:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | From Insight to Action: Rethinking Funding Practices in Asia

    Anchored by Asia Community Foundation

    Philanthropy in Asia is growing—in capital, visibility, and ambition. Yet many social impact organisations across the region continue to operate amid funding volatility, fragmented support, and significant compliance demands. At the same time, funders are seeking ways to move beyond short-term initiatives toward more durable, system-level impact.

    This funders' session draws on insights from a recent regional survey of social impact organisations across Southeast Asia, capturing candid perspectives on funding practices, partnership dynamics, and the conditions required for organisations to thrive. These insights findings provide a grounded starting point for a forward-looking conversation.

    Designed as a rapid-fire, interactive discussion, the session will move through a series of key insights and invite immediate reactions from funders in the room. Where are the biggest disconnects? What shifts in practice are needed? Where is shared infrastructure still missing? And how can collaboration move from aspiration to execution? 

    • Carol Liew Managing Director, ECCA Family Foundation
    14:15 – 15:30 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Navigating a Rapidly Ageing Asia: How AI and Ecosystem Collaborations are Shaping What’s Next

    Anchored by DBS Foundation

    Asia is ageing at an unprecedented pace, with societies facing growing pressures on healthcare, social support and economic systems – challenges made more urgent in an increasingly volatile and uncertain world. Longer lives bring opportunities, but also new risks such as gaps in care, rising costs and social isolation, particularly for vulnerable communities which will likely be hardest hit.

    This panel explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and ecosystem collaborations are helping to navigate these complexities and shape what’s next for ageing societies. Panellists will share insights on how AI is enabling earlier interventions, such as by enhancing preventive healthcare, supporting independent living and strengthening resilience. At the same time, strategic cross-sector partnerships – connecting social enterprises, corporates, public agencies, private wealth, philanthropists and more – demonstrate how change can’t be made in siloes; how collaboration is key to driving sustainable, scalable solutions.

    The discussion will also look beyond today’s practices to the future: how can AI remain human-centered, trusted and equitable? How can partnerships unlock systemic change?

    Join us to discover how innovation and collaboration are reimagining ageing societies in Asia and building a more resilient, inclusive future for all.

    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Transforming Asia’s Rice Systems: Aligning Capital for Action

    Anchored by Temasek Foundation

    Rice cultivation is one of Asia’s largest sources of methane emissions, but it is also one of the clearest opportunities for immediate, large-scale climate action. Proven low-emission rice pilots exist, yet adoption remains fragmented and far below the level needed for system-wide transformation.

    This panel convenes key players across the rice value chain to confront a core question: If solutions already exist, how can diverse sources of capital be aligned to enable scale?

    Anchored in live case studies, the discussion will focus on what it takes to move beyond pilots to sustained capital deployment across millions of hectares. This includes how risk must be shared, blended finance can be structured, and capital should be coordinated. It will also examine what is required to create credible demand signals and the role carbon markets can realistically play. Participants will leave with a pragmatic blueprint for advancing scalable rice resilience across Asia.

    • Cornelius Streit Vice President, Ecosystem Services APAC, Bayer Crop Science
    • Marc Sadler Regional Manager, World Bank
    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Climate & Health Funders Coalition: Driving Partnered Global-Local Action in Asia on Climate and Health

    Anchored by Wellcome

    Asia sits at the epicenter of some of the most urgent and interconnected health challenges of our time: extreme heat, air pollution, and infectious disease. Amplified by climate change, these systemic challenges damage health and livelihoods, strain health systems, undermine economic productivity, and deepen inequities, disproportionately impacting Asia’s most vulnerable communities.

    Addressing these challenges requires sustained collaboration between global and local actors. This session spotlights opportunities for partnership across global, regional, and local funders to advance climate and health solutions in Asia. It will explore what effective partnership looks like in practice, and how platforms for collaboration can accelerate impact in the region.

    • Dr Claus Runge Senior Vice President, Global Head of Public Affairs, Sustainability & Internal Engagement and Chief Health Equity Officer, Bayer
    • Naina Subberwal Batra CEO, AVPN
    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Beyond Capital: Reimagining the Role of CSR in Shaping Impact Outcomes

    Anchored by Sattva Consulting

    Over the past decade, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India – where CSR is mandated – has rapidly transformed from a compliance mandate into a powerful engine for nation-building and creating shared value. "Beyond Capital: Reimagining the Role of CSR in Shaping Impact Outcomes" explores this remarkable paradigm shift. Today, corporates are moving beyond one-time grants to deploying patient, catalytic capital. They are bringing "more than funds" to the table by leveraging core business expertise, technology, employee talent and business networks as social infrastructure to address complex societal challenges. Utilising a highly engaging, case-study-based approach, this session will highlight how leading companies are acting as custodians of the development agenda. Attendees will discover how mature CSR is driving the professionalisation of the development sector, strengthening public systems, and accelerating lab-to-market transitions for inclusive solutions.

    Join us to explore how corporate capital is enabling systemic change and leapfrogging India’s development trajectory and learnings to translate this approach to the broader region.

    • Srikrishna Murthy (Moderator) CEO, Sattva Consulting
    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | From Commitment to Impact: Catalysing Community Resilience Through Investing in Children and Youth

    Anchored by CapitaLand Hope Foundation

    As Asia navigates growing uncertainty, strengthening community resilience is an urgent priority—particularly through investments in children and youth, who are both most vulnerable and key to long-term change. Philanthropy is shifting toward more strategic, collaborative approaches, creating new opportunities for grantees while raising expectations for impact and scale.

    This session brings together practitioners from across the region to explore the next frontier of philanthropic impact. Drawing on real-world experience, the discussion will unpack common challenges, examine where well-intentioned efforts fall short, and highlight what enables organisations to deliver meaningful, lasting outcomes in their communities.

    Panellists will also explore how cross-sector learning and collaboration can strengthen capacity and accelerate impact. By unpacking what works in practice, the session aims to surface how philanthropy can evolve toward coordinated, outcome-driven approaches that build resilient communities across Asia.

    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | From Models to Markets to Systems: Indonesia as an Exemplar for MedTech and AI integrated Smart Health Systems

    Anchored by PATH

    This session will explore how countries can build smarter, more resilient, and equitable health systems by embedding medical technologies and artificial intelligence as foundational components of health systems, rather than as fragmented or pilot-driven interventions. It will examine how these technologies can be aligned with national strategies, policy frameworks, and development priorities to strengthen primary healthcare, improve continuity of care, enhance data-driven decision-making, and reduce inequities. Drawing on Indonesia’s ongoing health system transformation, the session will examine how countries can move toward more integrated, nationally coordinated systems by strengthening primary healthcare, advancing digital health platforms, and improving continuity of care across fragmented delivery landscapes. In Indonesia’s case, this includes efforts to connect data systems, expand access across its geographically dispersed population, and build a more responsive and data-driven health system. A key part of this transition is the Indonesia Health Investment Network, which is being developed as a platform to align government priorities with external financing and philanthropic capital, enabling more coordinated, long-term investments in scalable, system-level innovation.

    The session will also examine the enabling conditions required for scale, including data governance, regulatory readiness, institutional trust, and investments in digital and artificial intelligence capacity. A key focus will be the role of aligned financing (from philanthropy, development finance, and private capital) in supporting this transition. The Indonesia Health Investment Network will be presented as a model to coordinate investment and anchor it to national priorities.

    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Building a Multi-stakeholder Model for Climate, Nature, and Indigenous Land Tenure Rights: Exploring the Inter-governmental Pledge at COP 30

    Anchored by Tenure Facility

    This session presents Tenure Facility's partnerships-for-tenure approach and explores how Indonesia is advancing a scalable model for climate action by aligning Indigenous tenure, public policy, and catalytic capital. Through the recognition of customary forests (Hutan Adat), a coalition of government, Indigenous organisations, philanthropy, and private sector actors is demonstrating how rights-based approaches can deliver measurable climate and biodiversity outcomes.

    Rather than focusing on individual projects, the discussion will examine how to build systems that enable finance to flow at scale—linking policy reform, institutional capacity, and long-term investment. Speakers will share lessons on structuring partnerships, mobilising capital, and translating local leadership into nationally significant impact.
    The session offers a practical blueprint for funders seeking high-leverage climate solutions in Asia and other regions.

    16:00 – 17:30 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Asia’s Catalytic Capital Moment: From Blueprint to Action

    Anchored by AVPN

    Capital for climate adaptation and resilience in Asia is not short on interest; it is short on execution. Despite growing attention to catalytic capital, few adaptation and resilience transactions in the region reach financial close. A missing middle persists: opportunities like sub-national climate-resilient water infrastructure, nature-based solutions platforms, or climate-smart agricultural value chains that are too large for grant funding, but not yet structured or de-risked enough for commercial capital. In practice, there are limited mechanisms to translate these opportunities into viable capital stacks and align the right partners around them.

    ASPIRE (Asian Partnership for Inclusive and Resilient Economies), a multi-stakeholder initiative hosted by AVPN and supported by The Rockefeller Foundation to catalyse scalable, people-centred finance for climate action and the SDGs in Asia, aims to close this gap. Participants will work directly on two live adaptation and resilience transaction cases, examining investment bottlenecks, testing capital stack structures, and identifying where catalytic instruments can unlock progress. Facilitated breakout groups, supported by experienced structuring partners, will tackle practical questions: what risks need to be addressed, what catalytic instruments are required, and what conditions would enable different actors to participate. 

    • Varad Pande Partner and Director, Boston Consulting Group
    • Dex Chen (Moderator) Deputy CEO, Tri-Sector Associates
    07:15 - 14:00
    07:15 - 08:30 Closed-door event
    Partner Event | Breakfast Session: #BackBlue Ocean Investment

    Anchored by Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance

    Convened by ORRAA, Philanthropy Asia Alliance, and Builders Vision Philanthropy, this invitation-only breakfast will bring together senior representatives from financial institutions, family offices, public banks, and philanthropies for a high-level discussion of investment strategies into the regenerative and sustainable ocean economy. This builds on the outcomes from COP30 and the third United Nations Ocean Conference held in Nice, France, and the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco last year.

    It will be an engaged, Chatham House Rule discussion on how different finance actors can work together, understand one another’s constraints and questions, and what each might do next to help accelerate action.

    The #BackBlue Ocean Finance Commitment, a joint initiative of ORRAA and the World Economic Forum’s Ocean Action Agenda, ensures that a regenerating and sustainable ocean has a seat at the table in finance and insurance decisions. The cumulative value of assets under management by current endorsers of #BackBlue amounts to USD$3.45 trillion.

    • Karen Sack (Moderator) Executive Director, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance
    07:30 - 09:00 Closed-door event
    Partner Event | Leaders’ Breakfast: Re-strategising Inclusive Development in Asia

    Anchored by Asia Philanthropy Circle, AVPN & Temasek Trust 

    This closed-door seminar explores how Asia’s inclusive development trajectory is entering a new phase. The region faces a “polycrisis” shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, climate and ecological stress, demographic shifts such as ageing and migration, and declining trust in institutions alongside rising social tensions. At the same time, rapid technological transformation—from AI to evolving data and market systems—is reshaping labour markets, public services, and social norms, acting as both disruptor and enabler.

    Against this backdrop, Asia’s diverse societies retain distinctive strengths, including intergenerational orientation and traditions that emphasise collective wellbeing. The session will examine why linear, siloed, project-based approaches are no longer sufficient, and instead consider a new development logic grounded in systems thinking and portfolio approaches to navigate uncertainty and enable more inclusive, adaptive transitions across societies.

    • Carolina Suárez CEO, Latimpacto
    • Ichiro Kabasawa Executive Director, The Nippon Foundation
    • Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki Managing Director, Yayasan Hasanah
    10:00 - 11:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    The Global Agenda

    Anchored by Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS)

    Times of polycrises require responses that cross borders and sectors. Philanthropic networks play a distinctive role in enabling these interventions, connecting local insight with global coordination and unlocking resources that flow where they are needed most.

    This session brings together leaders of global philanthropic networks to examine how ecosystem-based approaches can strengthen collaboration across regions. Drawing on WINGS’ cross-regional insights from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the discussion explores how partnerships can unlock investment, foster innovation and amplify impact at scale.

    • Carolina Suárez CEO, Latimpacto
    • Mosun Layode Executive Director, African Philanthropy Forum
    • Naina Subberwal Batra CEO, AVPN
    • Srikrishna Murthy CEO, Sattva Consulting
    • Rui Wang (Moderator) China Representative and Programme Advisor, Asia, GlobalGiving
    10:30 – 12:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | AI for All of Asia: Raising the Ceiling, Strengthening the Floor

    Anchored by Boston Consulting Group

    Artificial Intelligence is reshaping economies across Asia, creating significant opportunities to expand access, improve productivity, and enhance quality of life. Yet without deliberate action, its benefits risk bypassing the most vulnerable, while automation and capability gaps may deepen existing inequalities.

    This session explores how AI can both raise the ceiling—unlocking new opportunities through inclusive innovation, such as adapting AI for low-connectivity environments and local languages—and strengthen the floor by building resilience, including supporting workforce transitions and ensuring access for underserved communities in emerging Asia. It will focus on where philanthropic and catalytic capital can unlock impact, particularly in areas where markets are unlikely to invest, and where targeted support is needed to ensure that workers and communities are not left behind.

    Bringing together funders, policymakers, and ecosystem leaders, the discussion will identify a small number of practical, fundable opportunities and lay the foundation for collaborative action beyond the session.

    • Varad Pande (Moderator) Partner and Director, Boston Consulting Group
    11:00 – 12:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Aligning Philanthropy and Investment to Advance the Regenerative and Sustainable Blue Economy

    Anchored by Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance

    A healthy ocean underpins climate resilience, biodiversity, food security, and the well-being of coastal communities worldwide. With the launch of the “Implementation Decade” at COP30, the global community is being called to shift from commitments to scaled implementation. It is no longer a question of “what works” but of how quickly we can deliver, invest, and scale proven solutions and locally led products.

    This session explores investable opportunities that expand regenerative and sustainable blue economy solutions which help secure the resilience of coastal ecosystems, regenerate nature and improve community health, and inclusive development.

    An expert panel will showcase a range of locally-led solutions including a regenerative seaweed enterprise that is restoring coastal ecosystems in the Philippines, a blue finance facility investing in reef-positive businesses in the Indo-Pacific, parametric and microinsurance insurance products strengthening the adaptive capacity of small-scale fishing communities in the Philippines and Indonesia, and solar-powered solutions for cold chains to reduce post-harvest losses, strengthen value chains, and enhance resilience for coastal communities in Indonesia.

    The session will highlight the suite of transformative investment opportunities open to private, public, philanthropic, and blended finance that together can deliver on the implementation decade: protecting coastal ecosystems, enhancing livelihood resilience, and contributing to healthier, more sustainable coastal food systems.

    11:00 – 12:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | From Heirs to System Architects: Building Asia’s Legacy Flywheels for Global Good

    Anchored by Asia Centre for Changemakers

    In Asia, innovation is often discussed in terms of technology and capital. But the real innovation challenge is intergenerational.

    Asia is entering the largest wealth transfer in its history. The question is not whether wealth will move across generations, but how. Will NextGen simply inherit assets or design the systems that convert Asian wealth into enduring global good?

    This session challenges conventional narratives around NextGen leadership. It highlights rising leaders not just as disruptors or stewards of capital, but as architects of continuity – builders of what our research calls a Legacy Flywheel, where shared purpose drives stewardship, stewardship builds resilience, resilience enables legacy transmission, and impact renews purpose.

    Drawing on insights from the Asia Centre for Changemakers (ACC) report, Asia’s Succession Moment, and grounded in lived leadership experience, the session explores how Asian families can transform succession risk into institutional advantage – and how philanthropy can serve as a powerful rehearsal ground for governance, leadership, and global impact.

    The future of Asian innovation is not only what we build; it is also what we sustain. Families that design their flywheels intentionally will not merely preserve wealth; they will shape Asia’s contribution to the world.

    • Mee Har Foo CEO, Wealth Management Institute
    • Ng Yi-Xian Group CEO, Etonhouse International Education Group
    • Dawn Tan (Moderator) Director, Asia Centre for Changemakers (ACC)
    11:00 – 12:00 Closed-door event
    Partner Event | Accelerating Progress: Innovative Financing Pathways for Cervical Cancer Elimination in Asia

    Anchored by AVPN

    Cervical cancer is highly preventable, yet Asia still carries nearly 60% of global cases. Persistent financing gaps across HPV vaccination, screening, diagnosis, and treatment remain a major barrier to equitable access. This session will examine how strategic capital mobilisation can accelerate progress toward cervical cancer elimination in Asia. Drawing on perspectives from key players in the cervical cancer elimination ecosystem, panellists will share insights on financing pathways and cross-sector collaboration opportunities to advance this agenda.

    Participants will explore how social investors can deploy catalytic capital to close critical financing gaps, de-risk innovation, and scale system-level solutions, and gain practical insight into where these investments can make the greatest difference and what concrete steps they can take to engage.

    11:00 – 12:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Global Consortium Against Mozzies

    Anchored by Temasek Foundation

    Mosquito-borne diseases remain one of the most persistent global health threats, affecting not only health but also economic productivity, social resilience, and public trust. Climate change, urbanisation, and population mobility are accelerating transmission risks, increasing the need for stronger regional coordination and preparedness.

    Governments anchor national response and delivery, while philanthropy can catalyse innovation, bridge sectoral gaps, and support efforts beyond traditional mandates. Yet investments today remain fragmented and largely reactive, limiting long-term impact.

    Convened at the Philanthropy Asia Summit 2026, this panel will discuss the Global Consortium Against Mozzies (GCAM) as a platform for collective action. GCAM seeks to strengthen coordination across surveillance and vector control, aligning strategies so efforts reinforce one another rather than operate in silos.

    The session will explore how funders and governments can move toward a more coherent, sustained response — building long-term resilience against mosquito-borne diseases across sectors and borders.

    • Dr Gabriel Leung Executive Director, Charities and Community, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust
    11:00 – 12:00 Closed-door event
    Partner Event | Philanthropy’s Leverage Moment in Asia’s Energy Transition

    Anchored by FAST-P

    This roundtable brings together senior philanthropic leaders to examine how their capital can unlock outsized impact in Asia’s energy transition. The discussion will focus on how catalytic capital can be strategically deployed through blended finance structures to mobilise larger pools of investment in support of the region’s energy transition.

    As blended finance becomes an increasingly important mechanism for scaling transition solutions, participants will examine the enabling conditions for effective partnerships among philanthropies, and the public and private sectors. Through the lens of managed coal phase-out, the roundtable will highlight practical lessons from past efforts and identify pathways for catalytic capital to de-risk investments, accelerate deal flow, and crowd in institutional capital.

    • Dr Ma Jun President, Institute of Finance and Sustainability
    • Munib Madni CEO, FAST-P Office
    • Tracy Wong Harris Executive Vice President, Hong Kong Green Finance Association
    • Dr Joseph Curtin (Moderator) Vice President, Energy Transitions, The Rockefeller Foundation
    11:30 - 13:00 Level 4, Roselle-Simpor Ballroom
    The Impact Agenda | Region Spotlight: China

    This session looks beyond the conversations of the past three days toward what the field can build together, drawing on lessons and insights from across the world. Leading Asian voices will come together to uncover how Chinese philanthropic actors conceptualise impact and broaden understanding of how diverse pathways can contribute effectively to inclusive and sustainable development across contexts. Speakers will examine how national development goals and long-term socioeconomic priorities shape, or are shaped by, philanthropic practice in reality. The audience is also invited to reflect on what China's experience means for global development thinking and which areas offer greatest potential for cross-border collaboration.

    Following a panel discussion, a keynote on Chinese innovation and its contribution to global development is followed by a performance celebrating the cultural diversity that defines Asia and this community.

    14:00 - 17:00
    14:00 – 15:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Sea Change: Accelerating Ocean-climate Solutions in Asia

    Anchored by Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance

    Asia is poised to lead the next wave of ocean-climate solutions. This session will explore the catalytic role philanthropy can play in accelerating that transition.

    This 90-minute session will open with a snapshot of the ocean philanthropy landscape: a field evolving rapidly, with growing recognition of the ocean-climate nexus. Ocean-climate funding has grown fivefold over the past decade, but still accounts for less than 0.05% of global philanthropic giving. The session will expand prevailing narratives of what “ocean philanthropy” in Asia can be, moving beyond its roots in conservation, fisheries and coastal livelihoods to explore the region’s emerging leadership in the next wave of ocean-climate solutions.

    Panel discussions will explore two frontiers: offshore wind as a pillar of a fast, fair energy transition, and shipping decarbonisation as Asia’s ports, shipbuilders, and fuel systems shape the future of global trade. Speakers will also examine the reinforcing links between these agendas: how offshore renewables can enable green shipping corridors and fuels, and potentially power future marine carbon dioxide removal pathways, while underscoring philanthropy’s role in safeguarding integrity as these sectors scale (standards, science, governance, and social license).

    With perspectives from philanthropy, academia, industry, and government/community leaders, the session will offer ocean and climate/energy funders a practical sense of where philanthropy can add most value, helping shape enabling conditions, standards, and policy pathways as these sectors scale in Asia.

    • Jamie Choi CEO, Tara Climate Foundation
    • Rhett Ayers Butler (Moderator) CEO, Mongabay
    14:00 – 15:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Femtech Ventures: Investing in the Innovation Edge for Girls’ & Women’s Health

    Anchored by UNICEF

    Femtech ventures are the edge of innovation investments to advance health and opportunity for girls and women in Asia and globally. This session will explore how UNICEF’s Femtech Ventures initiative (2025-30), co-designed and supported by Temasek Foundation and partners, catalyses possibility-driven innovation by backing diverse social entrepreneurs in emerging markets with frontier tech solutions for emerging markets. With the Femtech industry projected to reach US$97 billion by 2030, participants will discover how we are making sure it is equitably represented and maximising global social impact. Join us as we showcase pioneering solutions from our inaugural cohort of companies and share overall trends and insights shaping our second year call for applications to launch in 2026.

    • Marisa Paramita Co-Founder and CEO, PT Ibu Punya Mimpi - baibu.id
    • Dr Shantanu Pathak Founder and CEO, Doto Health (CareMother)
    • Thomas Davin Director, UNICEF Office of Innovation
    • Patty Alleman (Moderator) Lead, Strategic Partnerships, UNICEF
    14:00 – 15:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Threads of Care: Investing in India’s Youngest for a Healthier, Happier, Holistic Future

    Anchored by The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (UK)

    As India approaches its centenary, the question is no longer whether to invest in early childhood, but whether we can afford not to. Evidence from India and globally is unequivocal: early childhood investments deliver among the highest social returns - strengthening human potential, economic productivity, and social cohesion.

    Threads of Care spotlights SIRA, a collaborative that works across health, nutrition, early learning, and child safety by strengthening government delivery systems at scale. Rather than creating parallel models, SIRA aligns philanthropic capital with public systems to unlock sustainable, population-level impact. This moment is particularly significant as India marks 50 years of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) - one of the world’s largest early childhood platforms -prompting a shift from access to quality, integration, and outcomes.

    This session offers a behind-the-scenes view of what it takes to move from pilots to population-level change, highlighting how catalytic capital, patient funding, and deep state partnerships can transform outcomes for India’s youngest citizens.

    • Akhil Paliath (Moderator) Chief of Staff and Director Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, Children's Investment Fund Foundation
    14:00 – 15:15 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | From Evidence to Trust: Defining and Communicating Credible Impact

    Anchored by Edelman & Caixin Global

    With economic headwinds and tighter funding environments, philanthropic capital is increasingly focused on outcomes, placing pressure on organisations to prove their impact and not just describe their activities. As global funders weigh competing priorities and local needs become ever more urgent, trust in institutions and NGOs has become a critical currency in fundraising. Credible impact measurement plays an essential role, but turning real-world progress into clear proof remains difficult, particularly for teams constrained by limited resources and expertise, or the complexity of attributing the impact of their work.

    This session brings together a cross-sector panel to explore what credible impact looks like from different perspectives, and how evidence can be translated into storytelling that builds trust and unlocks support. It will also examine the challenges faced by funding recipients, especially smaller organisations with limited communications capacity who are seeking to cut -through the crowded funding landscape.

    14:00 – 15:15 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Turning Pledges into Progress

    Anchored by Delivery Associates

    Despite record climate finance pledges and rising ambition, results continue to lag. Billions remain under-disbursed or deliver limited impact, revealing a critical bottleneck beyond funding alone: governments’ readiness to translate finance into sustained, system-level outcomes.

    This session will explore the hypothesis that investments in government capacity – the plumbing - will be critical to achieving climate impact. While private and philanthropic capital play vital catalytic roles, governments remain uniquely positioned to deliver solutions at scale and to set up the environment for private capital to be deployed at scale and for impact. Without investment-ready public systems and policy settings, even the most innovative capital struggles to achieve lasting impact.

    Through practical examples and cross-sector perspectives, the discussion will examine why investing in institutional infrastructure of climate delivery is a much-needed complement to investing in deploying climate solutions. It will also explore how success should be defined not by short-term disbursement or project outputs, but by the emergence of resilient, self-sustaining systems.

    • Laurel Blatchford Director and Senior Partner, Delivery Associates
    • Woochong Um CEO, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet
    • Zoe Whitton Board Member, Investor Group on Climate Change
    • Kate Epstein (Moderator) Associate Director, Delivery Associates
    14:00 – 16:00 Closed-door event
    Partner Event | Investible Opportunities to Accelerate Southeast Asia’s Regenerative Food Systems

    Anchored by Dalberg Global Development Advisors & The Rockefeller Foundation

    As momentum grows globally around regenerative and agroecological transitions, there is an increasing recognition that fragmented efforts and isolated funding streams are insufficient to unlock the scale of investment required. Coordinated action across philanthropy, public finance, and catalytic investors will be critical to accelerate the transition and translate promising initiatives into investible opportunities at scale. Against this backdrop, the Philanthropy Asia Alliance, Rockefeller Foundation, and Dalberg Advisors are convening this workshop to bring together private sector companies, philanthropies, bilateral and multilateral donors, and catalytic investors to align on a co-funding agenda to accelerate regenerative and agroecological transitions in Indonesia and the Philippines.

    During the workshop, we will share preliminary roadmaps for transition at the national and landscape level, to collectively refine. We will also share immediately investible opportunities to catalyse the regenerative agriculture transition, followed by breakout discussions on how to bring these opportunities to action.

    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | ​​​Keep the Faith: Innovative Climate Financing Partnerships for Difficult Times

    Anchored by Asian Development Bank Institute

    As global energy markets brace for volatility since the beginning of 2026 with ripple effects all across Asia, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised global growth forecasts amid divergent forces affecting developing economies and intensifying risks of middle-income traps. Yet Asia is also a hub for active financial innovation at the nexus of philanthropy, charitable giving, and climate finance, offering new pathways to bridge the region's massive climate investment gap.

    Underscoring this shift, a recent report from the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank calls for ‘boldly and collectively unlocking Islamic finance's full potential in addressing climate risks.’ By leveraging these alternative capital pools, Asia can move beyond traditional funding constraints to catalyse more resilient and inclusive growth and strengthen resilience factors.

    New approaches to faith and interfaith initiatives have emerged gradually in the world over the past decade to help foster a more sustainable and inclusive future, with South-East Asia a cradle of such transformations at the crossroads of the society and the economy.

    The dialogue ‘Keep the Faith’ will showcase new ways to invest in systemic initiatives that are both collaborative and catalytic. The discussion will be grounded in the initial findings from a new comprehensive study conducted by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation. The study confirms that:
    - Charitable giving can be integrated with large-scale modern financial structures.
    - This approach unlocks high-potential investments in green projects within emerging markets, provided new financial models incorporate community support.

    New forms of community development—which reconnect society with the protection of biodiversity-rich forests, mangroves, and coastal areas—are already underway, specifically through programs targeting the health-food-climate nexus and the green energy transition.

    The panel will gather high-level decision-makers and experts from government, agencies, think-tanks and universities, civic initiatives, and philanthropy, to discuss how religious organisations can concretely bring the climate and sustainable finance partnerships to the next level, starting with a fine-grain approach to the hurdles and change opportunities linked with Islam finance.

    • Prof Bambang Brodjonegoro Dean and CEO, Asian Development Bank Institute
    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Electrifying ASEAN: The Role of Catalytic Capital in Regional Energy Integration

    Anchored by Boston Consulting Group

    The ASEAN Power Grid (APG) has long been positioned as a regional energy integration initiative. However, its full value lies in its potential to drive broader development outcomes across ASEAN, including affordability, resilience, economic competitiveness, and energy security.

    Despite renewed momentum, progress remains slow. Over more than two decades, implementation has largely remained limited to bilateral interconnections and early pilot initiatives. Structural barriers persist, particularly around coordination, policy alignment, bankability, and political economy.

    At the same time, recent geopolitical developments and energy market volatility have reinforced the importance of regional energy resilience, further increasing the urgency of practical progress.

    This session aims to reposition APG from a long-term ambition to a set of actionable pathways, and to explore where philanthropy can play a meaningful, complementary role in accelerating that progress.

    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Tech Meets the Deep Blue Series C: Driving Ocean Innovation at Scale

    Anchored by The Nature Conservancy

    This 60‑minute session is designed to convert attention into decisions and commitments. It opens with a pattern‑break: a single arresting datapoint and a brief field story, followed by a clear framing—participants are here to decide, not listen. The room is then offered three simple investment pathways to choose from, reducing cognitive load and sharpening focus. Three fast, TED‑style “Impact Sparks” showcase (1) a scalable regional field project and its community impact, (2) an investor perspective on what made a pilot bankable, and (3) a concise future pipeline outlining capital needs, returns, and collaboration models. Participants vote live on the pathway they want to pursue, then break into small “Deal Huddles” to identify requirements, blockers, and concrete 30‑day next steps. The session culminates in a commitment moment—naming actions, owners, and timelines—potentially unlocking a matching fund. It closes with a clear two‑lane call to action: philanthropic catalytic funding or commercial adoption pathways.

    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Scaling Health & Social Innovations Across Asia: How Philanthropic Capital Can Unlock Regional Impact

    Anchored by 100x Impact

    Across Asia, high-potential health innovations are transforming access, affordability, and quality of care, driving more inclusive social development. Yet many struggle to scale beyond a single country. Fragmented funding and regulatory complexity often stall progress. To address this, the London School of Economics launched 100x Impact, a funding and learning platform working to:
    1. Understand what enables social ventures to scale
    2. Build the ecosystem they need to do so

    This session examines how catalytic philanthropic capital can accelerate the expansion of proven health innovations from local pilots to regional impact. Featuring perspectives from global funders and regional innovators, the panel will explore what funders need to see in order to commit capital, what types of support innovators need, how partnerships can be structured for scale, and what models are most replicable across diverse Asian markets, offering practical insights for multi-donor collaboration.

    • Brishan Rowjee Associate Director, Impact Investments, Grand Challenges Canada
    • Fan Gu Chief Investment Officer, 100x Impact
    • Farouk Meralli CEO, SwipeRx
    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | Enhancing Population Health Resilience to Climate Change

    Anchored by WHO Foundation

    This session will officially launch the “Enhancing Population Health Resilience to Climate Change in ASEAN” project, a collaborative initiative addressing the growing health impacts of climate change in vulnerable regions and an innovative approach at the intersection of climate, health, and the insurance sector.

    As rising temperatures, extreme weather, and air pollution intensify health risks, ASEAN countries face urgent challenges compounded by data gaps, policy fragmentation, and strained health systems.

    Bringing together partners from the WHO Foundation, Prudence Foundation, and the WHO, the project pilots in Viet Nam a scalable model to strengthen climate-health resilience. It focuses on improving data and forecasting tools, supporting evidence-based policy and adaptation planning, and strengthening health financing and insurance mechanisms to better manage climate-related health risks.

    Discussions will highlight early insights, lessons learned, and opportunities for cross-sector collaboration to build stronger, more adaptive health systems in the face of climate change.

    16:00 – 17:00 Level 4, Sands Expo and Convention Centre
    Partner Event | The First-Mover Advantage: De-risking Pilots, Unlocking Multi-Billion Investments for Public Health Resilience

    Anchored by Pijar Foundation

    We are seeing more health innovations than ever—but many never reach the people who need them. The challenge is not invention, but adoption. Across Southeast Asia—where health systems are rapidly evolving yet highly heterogeneous—promising innovations, from point-of-care diagnostics and AI-enabled screening to portable medical devices and digital health platforms, often remain confined to small-scale pilots due to limited testing within real-world public health systems. Without clear proof that they can work in everyday care—fit into workflows, be used by frontline workers, and meet government requirements—both governments and investors hesitate. This creates a “missing middle,” where high-potential solutions fail to scale into real impact—limiting their potential to strengthen public health resilience in the face of growing challenges, from pandemics to non-communicable diseases to climate-linked health risks.

    This session explores how philanthropy can turn this challenge into opportunity—by rethinking pilots as powerful tools to unlock the next wave of multi-billion dollar blended investments in public health. Through real-world examples of innovation sandboxes co-designed with Government and state enterprise ecosystems, we will show how embedding solutions in actual health systems can generate the evidence needed for adoption at scale. In Southeast Asia’s dynamic policy and financing landscape, this approach is critical: when done right, pilots are no longer endpoints—they become pathways to scale, unlocking large, blended capital from public budgets and private funding, and accelerating the transition from promising innovation to system-wide impact—while strengthening the resilience of health systems to respond to future shocks. 

    The session will be followed by a small networking reception happening from 5.00pm onwards.

    08:30 - 12:00
    08:30 - 12:00 Singapore
    Impact Journeys

    Building on the conversations at PAS, Impact Journeys offer direct engagement with ground-level initiatives across the Climate, Health, and Inclusive Development tracks. Each experience brings participants closer to the approaches shaping real-world outcomes and highlights where support can make a difference. 

    08:30 - 11:00 Techlink, Kaki Bukit
    Debug Factory Tour: Inside the Lab Protecting Billions from Mosquito-Borne Diseases

    Aedes mosquitoes threaten four billion people worldwide with diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. Debug, a Google initiative, has spent a decade building solutions to reduce mosquito-borne diseases at scale. Debug combines AI with automated hardware to produce sterile, non-biting male mosquitoes at scale, safely suppressing disease-carrying populations. 

    The results are transformative. In Singapore, dengue infections dropped 77% in neighborhoods where Debug released its mosquitoes. In Fresno, mosquito suppression reached 95.5%. In the British Virgin Islands, a resort that had used fogging chemicals for years stopped using them entirely and achieved better suppression results. 

    This tour takes participants inside one of the world's largest adult mosquito-rearing facilities, where over ten million male mosquitoes are produced and released weekly.  

    See firsthand how this proven technology works and join the conversation about how strategic partnerships can bring it to the vulnerable communities that need it most. 

    08:30 - 11:00 Enabling Village
    Enabling Village: A Vision for an Inclusive Future through Universal Design, Eco-system Development and Innovation

    Step into the Enabling Village, Singapore’s beacon of inclusion, and experience how accessibility and universal design transform lives. Led by a guide with a disability, this walking and wheelchair-friendly tour offers a unique perspective on how the village fosters an integrated, inclusive community where persons with disabilities (PWDs) thrive.

    Explore Singapore’s commitment to integration and empowerment through innovative universal design, from inclusive preschool to specialised facilities. Discover how inclusive infrastructure connects learning, work, and play, and learn about initiatives that empower PWDs and caregivers. Witness cutting-edge assistive technologies at Tech Able and community-driven solutions at SG Enable, where public, private, philanthropic, and people sectors collaborate for lasting change.

    Celebrate the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative impact of the Enabling Village, where everyone is empowered to reach their full potential.

    08:30 - 11:00 Greenphyto Innovation Centre
    Greenphyto: Strengthening Food Resilience through Automated Vertical Farming

    Greenphyto is transforming agriculture through advanced vertical farming technology to strengthen food security in a changing world. Its flagship facility in Singapore is the world’s tallest and largest indoor vertical farm, producing up to 2,000 tonnes of fresh vegetables annually while achieving yields up to 45 times higher than traditional farming.

    Powered by AI, robotics, and a fully automated system, crops are grown in a controlled, pesticide-free environment—independent of weather and with significantly reduced land and water use. This enables consistent, high-quality produce while minimising waste and resource consumption.

    This tour takes participants inside a next-generation farm where innovation meets sustainability. Discover how Greenphyto’s scalable technology supports local food resilience, reduces reliance on imports, and contributes to a more secure and sustainable food future.

    08:30 - 12:00 St. John's Island
    St. John's Island National Marine Laboratory (SJINML): Marine Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration Research

    St. John's Island National Marine Laboratory (SJINML) is a national research infrastructure and Singapore's only offshore marine research station. SJINML serves as a focal point and resource for marine science research and education.  

    SJINML supports research that drive real-world solutions and betters our understanding of the shared marine environment — from sustainable development and marine conservation to the blue economy, food security and Singapore's vision of becoming a City in Nature. 

    Join us on this impact journey and discover how humble marine organisms like corals and seagrasses hold the answers to safeguarding Singapore's biodiversity, strengthening our climate resilience, and unlocking various other solutions to ensure that future generations of Singaporeans can continue to enjoy vibrant blue and green spaces.

    12:00 - 14:00
    12:00 - 14:00 Temasek Shophouse
    PAA Special | The World Bank Agenda

    Mobilising capital at scale depends on structures that tie funding to measurable outcomes, and on partners willing to absorb the risk that public and commercial capital cannot.

    PAA will host a private lunch with Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, for a select group of senior leaders. Mr Banga has been reshaping how the World Bank approaches development finance, placing particular emphasis on drawing private and philanthropic resources towards foundational systems where the gap between need and available funding remains widest.

    The conversation will examine how partnership financing gains the accountability that convening alone cannot provide, and how catalytic or risk-sharing instruments can alter the conditions under which larger pools of investment are prepared to act.


    Venue Information

    How to get there:
    • By MRT:
      • Marina Bay Sands is located at Bayfront MRT station (CE1/DT16). The station connects to the Circle and Downtown Line of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train system. MRT services to/from Bayfront MRT station operate daily from approximately 6am to 12am midnight.
      • Take Exit C, D or E to get to Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
    • By Bus:
      • Bus services:
        • Daily: 97 / 106 / 518 / 133 / 502
        • Daily except Sat, Sun & public holidays: 97E / 502A / 518A
      • Alight at bus stop 03511 for Marina Bay Sands MICE (outside Sands Expo & Convention Centre, opposite Hotel Tower 1), or 03519 – Opp. Marina Bay Sands MICE (opposite Sands Expo & Convention Centre, adjacent to Hotel Tower 1)
    • By Car / Taxi:
      • Pick-up/drop-off points:
        • Sheares Link outside Hotel Tower 1
        • Bayfront Avenue outside Hotel Tower 3
        • Outside Sands Expo & Convention Centre
        • Outside The Shoppes
      • Driving directions:
        • Via East Coast Parkway (ECP) expressway: Approximately 20-minute drive, leads directly into Sheares Avenue across the Benjamin Sheares Bridge
        • Via Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), Central Expressway (CTE), Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE): Connect at the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) which links directly to Marina Boulevard and Central Boulevard, and from there to Bayfront Avenue and Sheares Avenue
    For more information, please visit Directions to Marina Bay Sands


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    Highlights from PAS 2025

    Global Attendees 1000+
    Speakers 100+
    Partner Events 23
    Impact Showcases 5
    View all Media & Resources

    Past Summits

    Philanthropy Asia Summit 2025
    The 2025 Summit theme, “Priming Asia for Good”, spotlighted solutions, innovations, and actions in Asia to address global challenges across the interconnected areas of climate, education, and health.
    Philanthropy Asia Summit 2025
    The 2025 Summit theme, “Priming Asia for Good”, spotlighted solutions, innovations, and actions in Asia to address global challenges across the interconnected areas of climate, education, and health.
    Philanthropy Asia Summit 2024
    Themed "Partnerships for Action", PAS 2024 commenced on 15 April 2024. Partner Events centred on the intersections of Climate & Nature, Holistic & Inclusive Education, and Global & Public Health took place from 16 to 17 April 2024. The Summit wrapped up on 18 April 2024 with the launch of our ‘Impact Journeys’.
    Philanthropy Asia Summit 2024
    Themed "Partnerships for Action", PAS 2024 commenced on 15 April 2024. Partner Events centred on the intersections of Climate & Nature, Holistic & Inclusive Education, and Global & Public Health took place from 16 to 17 April 2024. The Summit wrapped up on 18 April 2024 with the launch of our ‘Impact Journeys’.
    Philanthropy Asia Summit 2023
    PAS 2023 featured Showcase Calls to Action that aim to address issues centred around three mandates – Climate & Nature, Holistic & Inclusive Education, and Global & Public Health.
    Philanthropy Asia Summit 2023
    PAS 2023 featured Showcase Calls to Action that aim to address issues centred around three mandates – Climate & Nature, Holistic & Inclusive Education, and Global & Public Health.
    Philanthropy Asia Summit 2022
    PAS 2022 featured Calls to Action that aim to address issues centred around three focus areas – Climate Action & Sustainable Communities, Inclusive Education and Resilient Healthcare.
    Philanthropy Asia Summit 2022
    PAS 2022 featured Calls to Action that aim to address issues centred around three focus areas – Climate Action & Sustainable Communities, Inclusive Education and Resilient Healthcare.
    Philanthropy Asia Summit 2021
    In 2021, the inaugural Philanthropy Asia Summit convened about 200 global and regional philanthropists for its inaugural event. Themed “Advancing Human Security and Community Resilience”, the Summit featured three focus areas of Climate Action & Sustainable Communities, Inclusive Education, and Pandemic Security.
    Philanthropy Asia Summit 2021
    In 2021, the inaugural Philanthropy Asia Summit convened about 200 global and regional philanthropists for its inaugural event. Themed “Advancing Human Security and Community Resilience”, the Summit featured three focus areas of Climate Action & Sustainable Communities, Inclusive Education, and Pandemic Security.