ONERHT ASEAN Summit 2026

This year marks a defining milestone as we convene the 10th edition of the ONERHT ASEAN Summit. Over the past decade, this platform has grown into a trusted regional forum — convening policymakers, diplomats, regulators, investors, and industry leaders to examine the strategic and economic forces reshaping ASEAN and the wider region.

We are honoured to welcome Mr Heng Swee Keat, Chairman of the National Research Foundation, as Guest of Honour — a reflection of the summit’s standing as a venue for serious regional dialogue at a time of mounting global complexity.

This year’s theme, “Positioning ASEAN in a US-China Contest Era,” speaks directly to the moment. Rather than aligning with either pole, ASEAN has chosen to steer its own course — deepening intra-regional cooperation, diversifying partnerships, and reinforcing the principle of ASEAN centrality even as great-power competition intensifies around it. Next year, Singapore will assume the chairmanship of ASEAN as the bloc marks its 60th anniversary, lending the occasion added significance. The summit will examine what this looks like in practice: how the region builds resilience, secures strategic autonomy, and translates its independent posture into economic advantage — not least in the fast-moving arenas of capital markets, private assets, digital transformation, and tokenisation.

The programme brings together senior diplomats, policymakers, and industry leaders for a morning of high-level discussion, followed by an exclusive networking luncheon. Conversations will centre on ASEAN’s ability to chart an independent course within a heavily contested geopolitical landscape, and on the region’s rising weight 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 

9:45 AM
Guest of Honour Keynote Address
Mr. Heng Swee Keat, Chairman, National Research Foundation   

10:00 AM
Opening Plenary: Positioning ASEAN in a Fragmented Global Order 

Speakers:

• Azman Jaafar, Managing Partner, RHTLaw Asia
• Marcus Tantau, Investment Research & Corporate Intelligence Specialist, Templeton Research

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 

Speakers:

• Tan Chong Huat, Senior Partner of RHTLaw Asia, Non-Executive Chairman of SDAX Exchange
• Patrick Yeo, Executive Director, Head of Digital Assets Trading and Global Financial Markets of DBS Bank
• Fidelis Oruche, Global Head of Capital Markets and Digital Assets of HSBC
• Anurodh Pandey, Digital Currency Products, Cash Management and Transaction Banking of Standard Chartered
• Samson Leo, Chief Legal Officer and Co-Founder of StraitsX

The session would explore:

• ASEAN capital markets and cross-border fundraising trends
• Real-world asset tokenisation and institutional adoption
• Digital infrastructure and technology investments
• Regulatory challenges surrounding digital finance and innovation

Track B: Managing Wealth, Succession & Strategic Investments in ASEAN

Moderator:
Azman Jaafar, Acting Head of Private Wealth, RHTLaw Asia
Speakers:

• Albert Chiu, Executive Chairman, Asia Pacific, EFG International  
• Febby Avianto, Head of Wealth Management (Emerging ASEAN), GWM, Maybank Singapore

The session would explore:

• Wealth preservation and succession planning amid global uncertainty
• Family office growth and governance challenges in Asia
• Cross-border investment structuring and mobility strategies
• Alternative investments and emerging asset classes

12:30 PM 
Closing Reflections

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

2:30 PM
Luncheon Ends