AGP Executive Report

BRICS Diplomacy: India’s 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi ended with the New Delhi Declaration, a 45-page, 140-point push on terrorism, unilateral tariffs and West Asia—after India bridged UAE-Iran differences and kept the text focused on dialogue and diplomacy. Global Governance & Tech: Xi called BRICS the most influential platform for emerging markets and urged AI cooperation, while Putin renewed calls to expand UN Security Council representation for Asia, Africa and Latin America and to modernize IMF/World Bank/WTO. Health Security: WHO South-East Asia Region backed stronger, integrated TB action—earlier diagnosis, wider prevention and treatment access, financial protection, and readiness for new TB vaccines. Regional Connectivity: Malaysia pledged renewable-energy and connectivity cooperation under ASEAN sub-regional plans like IMT-GT, with emphasis on ASEAN Power Grid links and physical integration. Education Signals: PISA 2025 results show Asia’s students leading while OECD countries see reading and math declines, adding urgency to education and AI talent competition. Energy Transition: APEC energy ministers in Beijing adopted documents on universal access to high-quality energy and on mutual enhancement between AI and energy. Tech & Society: Dubai doubled down on AI as city infrastructure, aiming to embed it across government and daily life rather than isolated apps.

AI Infrastructure & Policy: India’s push for AI computing got a boost as Piyush Goyal met Microsoft India to expand data centres and advance the India AI Mission, while Euronet’s India exec urged regulators to balance AI innovation with accountability for decisions made by AI agents. Digital Trust & Scams: GSMA warned that nearly half of reported scam cases across Southeast Asia remain unresolved, threatening trust in digital services as ASEAN accelerates AI and digital government. Femtech Boom in Singapore: Singapore’s femtech scene keeps expanding fast, with start-ups more than doubling since 2021 and widening from menstrual and sexual health into diagnostics and hormonal care. Enterprise AI PCs: Dell rolled out new AI-focused commercial PCs and workstations for India, betting on on-device AI and hybrid workloads across cloud and data centres. Regional Tech Diplomacy: South Korea is set to host the first Korea–Central Asia summit to deepen ties via energy and critical minerals, linking supply chains to Seoul’s tech capabilities. Geopolitics & Trade Tech: BRICS business leaders called for practical cooperation on trade, investment, innovation and technology connectivity as the summit spotlights resilience and supply chains. Climate Science: A study linked tropical ocean warming to a temporary surge in East Antarctica snowfall, adding 695 billion tons of ice mass and refining monitoring for sea-level risk.

ASEAN Health Diplomacy: ASEAN is pushing deeper ties with Japan and the US on early detection, genomic surveillance, big-data analytics and One Health, with ministers pointing to stronger health workforce, emergency preparedness and Universal Health Coverage as the goal. AI for Regional Care: ASEAN and South Korea also plan to expand AI-enabled digital health and data-driven primary care to close access gaps and strengthen early warning systems. Thailand Tech Investment Push: Thailand fast-tracked $3.66B in strategic industrial approvals and added tax incentives for firms listing locally, shifting incentives toward advanced tech, supply-chain integration and realized capital deployment. AI Economy Spotlight: Shanghai’s Inclusion Conference on the Bund kicked off with a clear pivot from AI models to agentic AI that executes tasks and delivers measurable business value. Fintech/Market Tech: India’s SEBI TechSprint 2026 crowned Kellton’s NIYAMA, turning regulatory text into machine-actionable compliance logic. Corporate AI Talent Race: Goldman Sachs opened a new AI and cloud engineering office in Bellevue, signaling long-term AI investment amid intensifying tech talent competition. Energy Security Meets Geopolitics: Modi and Iran’s Pezeshkian met on West Asia stability, with freedom of navigation and seafarer safety tied to energy supply concerns. Climate Risk Watch: Indonesia’s 2026 wildfires are on track to match the country’s worst emissions levels seen in 2015, driven by El Niño conditions.

AI Infrastructure Finance: Indonesia’s Zankore (backed by Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Ooredoo) secured a $3.1b debt facility to buy and deploy NVIDIA GPU capacity, targeting up to 1 GW of AI computing in Southeast Asia. Energy & Grid Modernisation: Hitachi Energy and Daikin will supply SF6-free grid gas tech (C4-FN) for Hitachi’s EconiQ portfolio, with production starting in 2027 in Germany. Green Finance & Policy: Hong Kong’s BOCHK and WWF convened a cross-border green finance forum for Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, pushing practical cooperation to accelerate the regional green transition. Digital Connectivity & Emissions: GSMA says mobile emissions in Southeast Asia rose ~20% since 2019 as clean power access lags, even as data traffic surged. Cross-border Data for Climate: Macau and Hengqin are building China’s first Earth system data international exchange center to share meteorological and environmental data for forecasting and disaster readiness. Cybersecurity: Group-IB reports an Android banking malware technique in Indonesia that uses Google Work Profile to evade controls, with losses nearing $1m. Regional Tech Cooperation: Seoul AI Hub signed an MOU with Taiwan’s INNOPAD TAIPEI to help startups validate markets and pursue joint R&D. Energy Security Diplomacy: China’s vice premier pledged support for global energy security at APEC’s Energy Ministerial in Beijing.

AI-First Policy Push (ASEAN): Malaysia’s deputy communications minister says the region can’t just consume AI—it needs connectivity, computing, cloud and secure networks so corporations, SMEs and start-ups can build and scale solutions across ASEAN. Digital Trust & Inclusion: At M360 ASEAN 2026, officials argue connectivity must pair with public trust so rural and remote communities aren’t left behind. Fintech Onboarding Speed (India): Citi launches eFPI to cut foreign portfolio investor registration in India to five business days, aligning with SEBI’s push to reduce market entry friction. Quantum Networking (Asia-Pacific): Infleqtion and Cisco plan research to connect and scale quantum systems into distributed networks. Cyber-Ready Identity (Singapore): Singpass adds optional passkey login for Android, aiming to reduce phishing risk while keeping QR, OTP and face verification. Next-Gen Rail (Japan-China): Japan and China race to develop ~600 km/h maglev trains, with Japan already hitting 603 km/h in testing. Silicon Photonics Breakthrough: Kyocera and Tohoku University report integrating optical isolators directly onto silicon photonics chips using laser annealing. Climate Risk Reality Check (Pacific): Experts warn sea-level vulnerability maps may be wrong because satellites can misread land elevation in vegetated tropics. Agritech Cooperation (ASEAN-India): India’s agriculture minister meets Malaysia, Timor-Leste and Myanmar on joint research, germplasm exchange and trade frameworks. Carbon Credits Deal (India): Google signs a deal to buy methane-cut rice carbon credits from Mitti Labs through 2030.

Legal Tech Expansion: Law.com is launching Legalweek Asia in Singapore, partnering with the Singapore Academy of Law to bring legal innovation and tech-focused dealmaking across the region. Payments Resilience: A new report argues banks and card networks now treat payment uptime as mission-critical, with outages quickly driving customer churn and revenue loss. Regional Trade & Security: Australia and the UK are building a shared economic-security agenda, focusing on trusted capital for critical tech, foreign investment risks, energy security, and mineral supply chains. Dryland Farming Science: Global Dryland Congress 2026 opens in New Delhi, bringing 800+ experts to push climate-resilient breeding, seed systems, and farming models via South-South cooperation. AI Governance in Practice: Hong Kong’s in-house legal summit spotlights AI governance as key for responsible cross-border data transfers and business trust. Human Evolution Research: China reports a rare Denisovan forearm fossil from Yunnan, using protein-based methods to identify ancient human remains. Climate Early Warnings: Pacific leaders stress that weather and multi-hazard alerts must reach every community in usable form, not just be technologically advanced. Digital Assets in Central Asia: PhillipCapital’s Symphony gets AFSA approval to intermediate digital assets and tokenised securities in Kazakhstan’s AIFC. Southeast Asia Tech Business: EnterpriseSG opens a Boston office to help Singapore firms expand in US tech sectors like AI, robotics, and advanced manufacturing.

ASEAN Digital Trust & Anti-Scam Push: Thailand’s digital minister urged an ASEAN-wide anti-scam intelligence exchange so regulators, banks, telcos, enforcement and platforms can share signals fast, while ITU warned the region risks an “AI divide” unless trust, identity and platform resilience keep up with connectivity. Medical Devices Regulation: Malaysia backed ASEAN moving toward a single submission model for pre-market approval of medical devices, with Malaysia proposed as the coordinating entry point to cut duplicate work while keeping national registration authority. Resilient Connectivity in Disasters: ASEAN resilience experts said network continuity during crises needs an ecosystem—terrestrial plus satellite links, pre-planned deployment protocols, and coordinated policy across governments, operators and humanitarian groups. Energy-Driven Caution: Malaysia’s Bursa closed flat as West Asia tensions lifted Brent above $100, raising inflation and tightening worries. Science & Tech: Researchers reported a telomere-to-telomere broccoli genome and mapped genes behind purple buds; a new cave find in China added Denisovan fossils to the record. Business/AI & Cyber Skills: ISMG acquired INE to expand hands-on networking and cybersecurity training globally. Consumer Tech: Google Sheets added 30+ multilingual fonts for Hindi, Arabic, Korean and more.

Internet Infrastructure: NIXI and APNIC signed an MoU in Mumbai to push IPv6 adoption and routing security, including RPKI training and lab support, as India hosts APNIC 62. Cyber & Payments Security: Visa unveiled a Singapore security roadmap targeting AI-driven scams, with priorities on stronger authentication, tokenisation, safer checkout, and a more resilient payments ecosystem. Biotech & Health Innovation: Hong Kong launched BIOHK2026, positioning the city as a biomed hub with government-backed push for clinical translation and biotech investment. Digital Identity: Singpass passkeys expanded to Android users from Sept 9, aiming to reduce phishing and scam risks; desktop support is planned for end-2026. AI in Finance: Citi consolidated client and market data into a single Snowflake-on-AWS repository, cutting global reporting from weeks to days to better enable AI use. Regional Business & Investment: Tamil Nadu pitched itself to a high-level Kazakh delegation across sectors from autos to IT and pharma. EV Launch: ZEEKR 7X debuted in Saudi Arabia with a 100-kWh battery, dual-motor AWD, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 cockpit. Market Access: Thailand’s SET will list 28 foreign depositary receipts to give local investors easier access to global blue chips.

Quantum R&D Boost: GlobalFoundries finalized a $375M CHIPS funding agreement to accelerate its Quantum Technology Solutions push, aiming to scale U.S. quantum chip manufacturing. Smart Grid Analytics: Bidgely will demo AI-driven smart meter analytics at Enlit Asia 2026, targeting bill shock reduction, non-technical loss detection, and better grid planning across ASEAN utilities. Digital Infrastructure & Security: India’s growing role in digital infrastructure and internet security was highlighted at APNIC in Mumbai, with policymakers stressing network resilience as AI expands cyber risks. Aviation Tech for Climate: Cathay Pacific and Google expanded AI trials to reduce aircraft contrail warming, reporting early results of about 40% lower impact. Space Partnerships: Australia signed five new industry partnerships with India covering satellite comms, R&D, and launch/re-entry tech. Deep-Sea Science: MBARI spotted a rare bigfin squid alive off Central California, offering fresh clues into deep-ocean behavior. Trade Signals: China’s exports jumped 25% in August on autos and high-tech demand, widening the trade surplus ahead of U.S.-China talks.

AI & Connectivity Infrastructure: Malaysia’s Maxis says it has deployed Nokia optical transport tech to connect 50+ data centres, targeting up to 1.2 Tbps per channel and boosting support for AI computing and low-latency enterprise workloads. Smart City & AI Pilots: South Korea’s Busan will host the 2026 World Smart City Expo (Sept 9–11) with an “Into AI City” theme, featuring AI-focused pilot cities and K-AI initiatives. Display & Wearables Manufacturing: Shenzhen’s C-TOUCH & DISPLAY SHENZHEN 2026 (Oct 27–29) will spotlight Micro LED optical interconnects, AI+AR smart glasses and TGV glass substrates. Trade Tech for Halal Exports: Malaysia’s MIHAS Knowledge Hub goes year-round with AI-driven market intelligence, webinars and podcasts to help exporters act on insights. Climate & Food Security: WMO warns El Niño impacts will persist into 2027, with droughts, floods and regional smoke disruptions; Bhutan meanwhile hosted a “conscious food systems” summit as food security pressures rise. Skills & Jobs: Sri Lanka’s cabinet approved a 10-year TVET roadmap and a 2027–2031 skills transformation program to fix skills mismatch. Fintech Remittances: Philippines’ RCBC won ABF “Remittance Bank of the Year,” citing an API ecosystem for faster, interoperable cross-border transfers. Health Tech Partnerships: Manulife Asia and Ant Health plan to collaborate on cross-border healthcare, case management and insurance technology in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

ASEAN Health Policy: Malaysia is set to launch the ASEAN Strategic Health Agenda (ASHA) 2026-2030 at the 17th ASEAN Health Ministers’ Meeting, with a push on pandemic preparedness via ACPHEED and tackling the dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. ASEAN-EU Tech Ties: Singapore and Luxembourg pledged to deepen ASEAN-EU cooperation next year, including emerging and critical technologies like quantum, AI, space and satellite communications. Aviation Decarbonisation: Google and Cathay Pacific expanded AI trials to cut contrail warming, using predictions to help pilots avoid persistent-contrail conditions and claim up to ~40% less warming on tested flights. Biotech Startup Pipeline: Kazakhstan and Hong Kong are being pitched as a biotech “unicorn” pairing by linking Central Asia’s tech talent with Hong Kong’s finance network. Market Pulse: Asia-Pacific stocks leaned on the chip/AI rally while oil rose on West Asia supply fears, keeping investors cautious on US rate expectations. Smart Skies for Aviation: Malaysia hosts a regional civil aviation directors’ conference focused on “Smart Skies,” prioritising safe, secure, sustainable and efficient air travel. Consumer Tech Hardware: Huawei unveiled its premium Mate XT 2 tri-fold smartphone ahead of Apple’s expected foldable launch, with pricing pressure tied to memory costs.

AI & Logistics Modernization: FedEx Malaysia says AI and remote monitoring are being rolled into cross-border freight operations ahead of the Johor-Singapore SEZ integration, shifting customer service to 24/7 self-serve while upgrading security on the ground. Climate & Disaster Risk: WMO warns Nepal’s glacial debris-flow disaster may be among the worst in decades, as glacier loss accelerates and flash-flood dynamics spread across borders. Food & Health Tech: India research turns sorghum stalk waste into stable prebiotic xylooligosaccharides with antioxidant activity, while LG Energy Solution and Seoul National University report a battery breakthrough that suppresses gas evolution in lithium manganese-rich EV cells. Space & Planetary Intelligence: India’s Pixxel raises $100M to expand its satellite fleet and AI-led Earth intelligence beyond hyperspectral imaging. Cybersecurity: Kaspersky reports 75M attacks blocked across APAC in 1H 2026, including ransomware and password-stealer attempts. Energy Transition Finance: HSBC-backed Green Accelerator Programme aims to mobilize private capital for emerging markets to shift from oil/coal to renewables via feasibility and due-diligence support. Semiconductors & Industry Footprint: Park Systems opens a new Hillsboro, Oregon office to support nanoscale metrology customers across the Pacific Northwest.

Education & AI: Bangladesh’s education minister asked Google to help modernise schools with AI, teacher upskilling and digital content, including “One Teacher, One Tab” and multimedia classrooms. Semiconductors: India launched the second phase of its semiconductor mission (about $13B) to expand the supply chain and workforce, aiming to move from “Make in India” toward “Engineer in India.” Space tech & geopolitics: A US-led Artemis Accords bloc signatory move by Türkiye underlines how space exploration is splitting into rival camps, complicating “celestial non-alignment” for partners like India. Quantum navigation: The US military tested GPS-free ocean navigation using quantum sensors that read Earth’s magnetic field, improving position accuracy by 89% in flight. Health research: A large genomic study maps how DNA shapes gestational traits across pregnancy stages, showing effects can change depending on when they’re measured. Biodiversity & science access: A study finds most mammal species are from the Global South, but many defining specimens are archived in Europe and North America. Regional cooperation: The Asia-Pacific Media Forum in Shenzhen pushed “openness, innovation, cooperation” as media and think tanks back APEC-linked goals. Industry spotlight: HQVT reported strong multispectral AI momentum and got Hang Seng index inclusion, signaling mainland capital interest.

Nuclear Energy Planning: Malaysia is weighing civil nuclear applications and building human-capacity plans via IAEA workshops, while deciding whether private firms or Petronas/TNB should drive any future project. Semiconductor Power Needs: ABB warns Penang’s AI-driven semiconductor growth depends on reliable, sustainable power infrastructure and smarter energy management, alongside a push to close talent gaps. Mobility Safety Tech: Seoul hosts a Global Mobility Conference focused on making self-driving and AI-powered transport safe for everyday use, with major industry speakers including Waymo and NVIDIA. AI Market Rotation: Traders are shifting AI exposure toward Chinese equity derivatives as offshore perpetual futures volumes surge for robotics and chip names. EV Supply Chain R&D: Hyundai Mobis opens a 32,000+ sqm EV powertrain R&D center in Korea to accelerate next-gen motors, inverters and integrated drive systems. Medical Imaging Breakthrough: China researchers report a radiomics + high-resolution CT model that can predict whether small lung adenocarcinomas are invasive, aiming to reduce unnecessary surgery. Regional Cybercrime Crackdown: Cambodia is hosting an international conference to coordinate cross-border action against online scams. Earth Science Discovery: Chinese scientists use machine learning on earthquake data to map previously unknown heterogeneities near the core-mantle boundary.

APEC Media & AI Governance: At the Asia-Pacific Media Forum in Shenzhen, Xinhua-backed research and a new “Shenzhen Consensus” push APEC narratives and regional cooperation, while Palau-based Pacific Islands Forum leaders endorsed human-centred AI principles and a future AI governance framework. SME Automation in ASEAN: A Malaysia rubber processor is using Guangdong-developed AI vision and robotics to automate irregular block handling, cutting labor costs by 20–30%—a sign SMEs are turning connectivity into practical growth. Regional AI Summit Bid: Sarawak will host WITSA’s Global AI Summit 2027 in Kuching, aiming to position the state as an ASEAN-to-global AI bridge. Digital Safety: UNICEF reports tech-facilitated child sexual exploitation exposure is highest in Eastern and Southern Africa (27%), with Southeast Asia at 19%. AI Hardware Demand: Foxconn expects Q3 to beat estimates as AI server demand keeps rising. Nature-based Resilience: Hong Kong’s landscape architects and The Nature Conservancy signed an NbS MoU to scale ecological restoration and climate resilience across the Greater Bay Area.

ASEAN Health Diplomacy: Malaysia will chair the 17th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting starting Sept 7 in Kuala Lumpur, aiming for more equitable, resilient health systems and a joint statement on regional priorities. Public Health Trends: New Zealand reports falling STI rates in 2025—syphilis down 27%, gonorrhoea 17% and chlamydia 13%—but warns antimicrobial resistance and persistent inequities for Māori, Pacific peoples and young people. Defense Tech & Regional Security: The US cleared a potential $5B arms sale to Saudi Arabia, including 10,000+ JDAM precision-guidance kits and thousands of bombs, plus fuze and target-detection systems. Climate & Disaster Risk: A river expert warns glacier ice loss in the Hindu Kush Himalayas has doubled since 2000, raising GLOF threats for two billion people, as Nepal flood impacts underline the stakes. AI Safety Talks: US and China are set for mid-September AI safety talks, focused on cyber threats, even as tech rivalry over chips and frontier models continues. SME Innovation Push: China’s new 2026-2030 plan targets SME growth via digital, intelligent and green development. Tech-Enabled Mobility: Air Canada adds nonstop Vancouver–Guangzhou flights from May 2027, expanding its China network.