UKABC CEO, Ian Gibbons OBE, is delighted to announce that 4 new members have joined the UK-ASEAN Business Council.

ASEAN must be inclusive — not only working with big business, but especially for MSMEs and micro enterprises. This was the key message from Joey Concepcion III, ASEAN BAC Chair 2026 at the first Joint Business Council meeting for the year.  
 

UK-ASEAN Business Council’s online dialogue on strengthening UK–ASEAN energy cooperation highlighted how the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) is moving from long-term vision to near-term execution, with opportunities for UK businesses across sectors. The dialogue featured  

Brunei Darussalam is advancing a carefully sequenced economic transformation—strengthening fiscal resilience, accelerating diversification, and pursuing a pragmatic energy transition aligned with long-term sustainability. As the country broadens its economic base beyond upstream hydrocarbons, there is a strong policy focus on downstream and value-added activities, alongside the development of new growth sectors, modern infrastructure, and future-ready human capital. 

UKABC Chief Executive, Ian Gibbons OBE and Chief Operating Officer, Ben Raby visited the Royal Cambodia Embassy to meet the Cambodian Ambassador to the UK, H.E. Tuot Panha.  

2025 has been a landmark year for the UK–ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), marked by strengthened trade relationships, deeper policy engagement and a sustained programme of high-impact activity across the UK and Southeast Asia.

Throughout the year, UKABC has delivered real and tangible value for its growing membership by facilitating access to senior decision-makers, advancing business priorities and reinforcing the UK’s position as a long-term economic partner to ASEAN.

ASEAN Business Barometer Survey, conducted by ASEAN-BAC, with support from CSIS Indonesia, DfD Lab, and JETRO.

Survey deadline: 16 January 2026
The survey is available in English and ASEAN local languages.

UKABC is pleased to publish this thought leadership article from Pearson on ‘AI and the Future of Work in Southeast Asia: Fixing the Skills Gap’. Read on for the thoughts of Craig McFarlane, Vice President APAC, Pearson Enterprise Learning & Skills, on the impact of AI on the future of work in ASEAN. Craig also introduces the work that Pearson is leading to demonstrate how AI-driven growth can be inclusive, sustainable, and transformative.

In July 2025, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy completed his fifth trip to the Indo-Pacific. On this occasion, he visited Malaysia and Singapore, reinforcing Britain’s long-term commitment to ASEAN and deepening bilateral partnerships in trade, innovation, and sustainability.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy spoke at the UK Post Ministerial Conference with ASEAN member states, highlighting achievements under the UK's Dialogue Partnership.

British pharmaceutical companies are set to gain up to £250 million over the next five years as part of a Vietnamese law change that makes it easier to sell UK-made medicines to the country.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy delivered a speech on diplomacy in the digital age whilst in Singapore.

Britain will deepen relations with countries across the Indo-Pacific to bring together UK and Southeast Asian innovation and technology to drive economic growth and create new business opportunities at key meetings in Malaysia today (Friday, 11 July).

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Kingdom today officially launched the ASEAN-UK Health Security Partnership Programme (HSP), a five-year programme, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as a major new initiative aimed at strengthening Southeast Asia’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to health threats.

As featured in the newly released Investing in ASEAN 2025|2026 publication, UKABC Chair, The Rt Hon. the Lord Vaizey of Didcot, shares his perspective on the UK’s growing strategic partnership with ASEAN. In his op-ed, Lord Vaizey outlines the economic opportunities for UK businesses across the region and highlights the significance of deepening digital, trade, and sustainability cooperation.

The UK-ASEAN Business Council was delighted to host Matt Western MP, UK Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, on 4 June for an exclusive UKABC partner briefing. This was the second in our series of dialogues with UK Trade Envoys following our initial session with Naz Shah MP.

UKABC congratulates The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) and IEG Campus (Intelli Education Group) on their strategic partnership, signed in Kuala Lumpur in the presence of George Freeman MP, the UK Trade Envoy to Malaysia. This collaboration enables IEG Campus students to access CISI programmes in financial services and ethical AI.

UKABC Partners participated in a roundtable discussion, hosted by BP plc, with the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), focusing on the ASEAN Power Grid and strategies to achieve Carbon Neutrality across the region.

Allen Lai, UKABC’s Director of ASEAN and Corporate Affairs, participated in the 12th ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting (AFMGM), held in Malaysia.

UKABC Partners participated in a roundtable discussion, hosted by BP plc, with the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), focusing on the ASEAN Power Grid and strategies to achieve Carbon Neutrality across the region.