ONERHT ASEAN Summit 2026

This year marks a significant milestone as we convene the 10th edition of the ONERHT ASEAN Summit, a platform that over the past decade has evolved into a respected regional forum bringing together policymakers, diplomats, regulators, investors, and industry leaders to discuss the strategic and economic developments shaping ASEAN and the wider region.

We are honoured to have Mr Heng Swee Keat, Chairman National Research Foundation, as the Guest of Honour for this year’s summit, underscoring the importance of fostering deeper regional dialogue and cooperation amid an increasingly complex global environment.

The theme for this year’s forum, “Positioning ASEAN in a US–China Contest Era,” reflects ASEAN’s growing significance in navigating geopolitical shifts while strengthening regional resilience, economic collaboration, and strategic autonomy. The summit aims to facilitate thoughtful and forward-looking discussions on ASEAN’s evolving role in the global order, as well as emerging opportunities across capital markets, private assets, digital transformation, and tokenisation.

The programme will bring together senior diplomats, policymakers, and industry leaders for a morning of high-level discussions followed by an exclusive networking luncheon. Key conversations will explore ASEAN’s position within an increasingly contested geopolitical landscape and the region’s rising prominence in digital assets, tokenisation, and private capital markets.

PROGRAMME 

9:00 AM
Registration & Welcome Coffee
 
9:30 AM
Welcome Address 
Azman Jaafar, Managing Partner, RHTLaw Asia 
 
9:35 AM
Guest of Honour Keynote Address
Mr. Heng Swee Keat, Chairman, National Research Foundation   
 
10:45 AM
Opening Plenary: Positioning ASEAN in a Fragmented Global Order 
This opening discussion will examine how ASEAN is navigating growing geopolitical tensions between the US and China while strengthening its role as a resilient economic and investment bloc. The session would explore:

• How ASEAN should navigate the intensifying US–China contest without being forced into a binary choice
• ASEAN centrality & strategic autonomy
• The South China Sea, supply-chain realignment & technology competition
• The role of small and middle powers in preserving regional stability
• How ASEAN can preserve its unity, relevance and agency in a more contested world

11:00 AM
Strategic Networking Break
 

11:30 AM 
Track A: ASEAN’s Next Capital Wave: AI, Tokenisation & the Future of Cross-Border Investments 

Track B: Managing Wealth, Succession & Strategic Investments in ASEAN
Speaker: Albert Chiu, Executive Chairman, Asia Pacific, EFG International  

 
12:30 PM 
Closing Reflections
 

1:00 PM 
Executive Engagement Luncheon (By Invitation Only)
 

2:30 PM 
Luncheon Ends