AI private credit risks are increasing as technology companies expand borrowing to finance artificial intelligence infrastructure, according to Moody's Ratings. The credit rating agency warned that growing financing requirements were pushing private credit beyond traditional corporate lending into increasingly complex investment structures. Capital expenditure by the five largest US hyperscalers and CoreWeave is expected to approach USD1tr in 2027, supported by operating cash

Asia fintech funding reached USD2.3bn across 116 transactions during the second quarter of 2026, increasing from USD1.7bn in the previous quarter, according to CB Insights. However, the region continued to trail the United States and Europe in large-scale fintech investment rounds. Asian companies attracted USD1.5bn across five mega-rounds, representing approximately 22% of the USD6.9bn raised across four major regions. The United States led with USD2.9bn across 12 transactio

Thailand investment applications increased 28% year-on-year to THB1.7tr (approximately USD50.37bn) during the first nine months of 2026, according to the country's Board of Investment. The increase was driven primarily by investment proposals in electronics, digital technologies and food-related industries. The figures suggest continued investor interest in sectors supporting Thailand's industrial development and economic diversification. However, the reported amounts represe

A Nadathur Family Office investment has led a USD3m seed funding round for Singapore-based healthcare technology startup Genie Health, supporting the company's expansion of artificial intelligence-powered healthcare services. Other participants included Liminal, a Founders' Studio backed by Temasek, and two healthcare investors. Anand Nadathur, principal of Nadathur Family Office, will join Genie Health's board following the investment. The company plans to use the funding to

Singapore M&A deal activity increased 98.2% year-on-year to USD104.3bn during the first nine months of 2026, reaching its highest value for the period since 2021, according to LSEG Data & Analytics. Morgan Stanley led investment banking rankings with USD14.9bn in transaction value, followed by Citi at USD9.5bn and JPMorgan at USD9.4bn. However, third-quarter deal value declined 9.9% from the previous quarter to USD24.1bn. Transaction numbers also fell 32.4% year-on-year to 18

The Southeast Asia digital economy is projected to expand 17% to USD368bn in gross merchandise value during 2026, supported by e-commerce growth and increasing artificial intelligence adoption. According to the e-Conomy SEA 2026 report by Bain, Google and Temasek, regional digital economic activity could reach USD1.1tr by 2035. E-commerce is expected to account for USD226bn in gross merchandise value this year, potentially increasing to USD820bn by 2035. Artificial intelligen

Southeast Asia startup debt funding nearly doubled to USD6.1bn in 2025 as companies increasingly sought alternatives to equity financing amid challenging fundraising and exit conditions. According to data platform Tracxn, debt funding increased from USD487.8m in 2023 to USD3.1bn in 2024 before rising further in 2025. Equity funding moved in the opposite direction, declining from USD8.4bn in 2023 to USD7.9bn in 2024 and USD6.2bn in 2025. Tracxn co-founder and chief executive N

Antares Ventures family office backing has helped the Singapore-based investment firm raise more than USD50m at the second close of its first institutional deeptech fund. Antares Ventures I is targeting USD100m, with investors including family offices and strategic investors from Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea. The fund has invested approximately USD27m across nine companies developing technologies in energy storage, electricity grids, industrial systems, water treatme

Asia-Pacific commercial real estate offers opportunities for investors seeking stronger income growth and portfolio diversification, according to Principal Asset Management. The US-based investment manager plans to increase its activity in regional commercial property markets, where investors remain relatively underweight in office assets. Richard Hill, senior managing director and head of global real estate research and strategy, said higher interest rates were encouraging i

Family office private credit allocation is increasing across Asia-Pacific, with family offices accounting for nearly 30% of regional private-credit assets under management, compared with approximately 23%-24% three years ago. Sanket Sinha, CEO of global asset management at Lighthouse Canton, said the increase reflects growing interest among Asian wealthy families in private-market opportunities and international investment growth. Despite accounting for nearly 35% of global g

Asian family office private credit allocations are attracting growing interest as wealthy families seek capital preservation, downside protection, and greater flexibility in private-market portfolios. Tony Edwards, deputy CEO of Hong Kong-listed Sun Hung Kai & Co., said the firm was reallocating capital from private equity towards credit opportunities to improve portfolio stability. Family offices are also targeting artificial intelligence infrastructure through private credi

Family offices in Asia are expanding beyond property, listed equities and direct business holdings into private equity, infrastructure and alternative investments, as younger generations seek greater diversification and flexibility, EQT executive Sueann Yeo said. Secondaries have become a core portfolio tool, providing diversified private market exposure and distinct cash-flow profiles, while evergreen structures are attracting interest for their greater liquidity flexibility

Family offices in Malaysia are emerging as a potential growth area as wealthy individuals and business owners seek more sophisticated structures to manage and deploy capital, contributing to Southeast Asia’s expanding private markets, according to industry executives. These offices are increasingly looking beyond traditional assets towards private equity, venture capital, infrastructure and direct investments, mirroring developments in Singapore and Hong Kong. Supportive gove

The Carlyle family office business is expanding with two senior appointments as the US private equity manager targets ultra-high-net-worth families as an increasingly important source of investment capital. David Seeberan has joined Carlyle as a partner and global head of the family office group, while Victoria Matthews has been appointed managing director and head of the business for Europe and Asia. San Francisco-based Seeberan previously worked at Cercano Management. Matth

The Singapore private markets hub remains a leading regional base for investment funds and start-ups, although competing Asian markets are developing increasingly sophisticated investment ecosystems, according to panellists at SuperReturn Asia. Singapore continues to concentrate investment functions and professional services, supported by its talent pool, regulatory infrastructure and international reputation. However, expertise is becoming more widely distributed as private-

The Asia private credit market is expanding as insurers, pension funds and other institutional investors seek long-term financing opportunities across the region, according to Fitch Ratings’ Monsur Hussain. Asian private-credit funds generally have less exposure to software and high-growth technology businesses than their US counterparts and face less competition for transactions, supporting more conservative lending standards, Hussain said. Private-credit exposure among majo

Asia-Pacific hotel investment increased 21% year-on-year to USD8bn during the first half of 2026 as strong travel demand and constrained new supply supported investor interest, according to CBRE. Japan, mainland China and South Korea led activity, while investors increasingly targeted existing properties for repositioning and conversion as higher construction and financing costs restricted new development. Hotel supply across Asia-Pacific is expected to grow by around 2.3% an

Private equity manager selection remains critical for investors as wide differences in returns persist between the strongest and weakest-performing funds, according to research from private-markets platform Moonfare. The annual return gap between top- and bottom-quartile private equity managers averaged 19.2 percentage points between 2016 and 2026, compared with just 2.9 percentage points for large-cap equities. Past performance also provided limited certainty about future re

Hong Kong private equity control deals are becoming increasingly important as managers pursue buyouts and controlling stakes amid slower exits across Asian private markets. Private equity investors participated in USD165.5bn of buyout transactions in 2026, around double the USD80.8bn invested in growth deals, according to PitchBook data. Hong Kong-based funds raised USD135.6bn across three buyout vehicles, including EQT’s BPEA Private Equity Fund IX, which accounted for USD12

Asia family office global investment strategies are becoming more diversified as wealthy investors seek opportunities across regions and asset classes, according to private capital markets firm Ascentivelab Group. The New York-based firm is expanding its investor coverage into Asia, the UK and Europe as family office capital becomes increasingly international. A UBS survey cited by Ascentivelab found that 60% of family offices plan to change strategic asset allocations within