UKABC was delighted to host HMTC Martin Kent and David Johnstone from the Department for Business and Trade for a tour de force covering updates on ASEAN and the wider Asia Pacific region from both a bilateral and wider regional political and commercial perspective.

Following a visit earlier this year by Martin Kent, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Asia Pacific, the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) was pleased to work in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade and The British High Commission in Brunei to deliver the first-ever UK Trade Mission to Brunei Darussalam. 12 companies joined us on the mission which ran from 25-27 November 2024.

UKABC was honoured to host a high-level delegation from the Philippine Government including Secretaries leading the Departments of Finance, Energy and Budget and Management. On this occasion, we were delighted to also be joined by the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs and the Deputy Governor of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Philippines Central Bank).

UKABC’s Chair, Lord Vaizey of Didcot, and Chief Executive, Ian Gibbons led the UK’s business delegation and UK business programme during the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) and Outlook on the Indo-Pacific Forum in Vientiane, Laos from the 8-11 October.

From 3-4 July Rino Donosepoetro, Cluster CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Indonesia and ASEAN Markets and UKABC Board Director and Allen Lai, UKABC’s Director-ASEAN, spoke at the Consultative Forum on Post ASEAN Economic Community 2025, hosted by the ASEAN Secretariat and the UN Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Ian Gibbons, the Chief Executive Officer of the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), recently met with His Excellency Mr Ng Teck Hean, the High Commissioner of Singapore to the United Kingdom. The meeting marked a significant step towards enhancing the bilateral relationship between the UK and ASEAN, with a particular focus on Singapore.

Malaysia’s Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) hosted an informative and interactive tech industry roundtable to discuss investment opportunities in Malaysia.

In the margins of the ASEAN Future of Fintech Forum in London, Lord Ed Vaizey, Chair UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), Ian Gibbons, UKABC’s Chief Executive and Ben Raby, UKABC’s COO, held constructive and collaborative discussions with Mr Agusman, Member of the Board of Commissioners of Indonesia’s FSA (OJK) and Bernardino Vega, Vice Chair of the Indonesia Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KADIN).

Lord Ed Vaizey, Chair of the UK-ASEAN Business Council met with Hon. Gobind Singh Deo MP, Minister for Digital of Malaysia at Battersea Power Station for an open and informed discussion on AI regulation and safety, managing cyber security risks and the opportunities from the UK and global space sector growth.

The ASEAN Future of Fintech Forum co-hosted by KADIN Indonesia and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, in collaboration with Equatorise, Indonesia’s FSA (OJK) and the UK Government and with support from the UK-ASEAN Business Council attracted an audience of over 100 business leaders.

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Ian Gibbons, Chief Executive Officer of the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), recently returned from a trip to Singapore encouraged by positive insights on the region's economic landscape. In a LinkedIn post, Ian highlighted the talent and dynamism of Singapore and the broader ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region and emphasised UKABC's engagement with key organisations including The ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) to drive economic growth and investment opportunities.

The UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) extends thanks to all participants for their contributions to the success of the recent UK-ASEAN Business Forum. Held on Tuesday 26th March 2024, the event featured insightful discussions on key topics including digital transformation, infrastructure connectivity, green finance, economic integration, people mobility, and climate change resilience.