ASEAN Intra-Asia Investment to Capture 81% of Regional Capex

Companies across Southeast Asia plan to allocate 81% of capital expenditure within Asia over the next three years, led primarily by ASEAN markets, according to The Business Times Insights: ASEAN Intelligence 2026 survey.

The ASEAN intra-Asia investment findings were based on responses from more than 500 business leaders across the ASEAN-6 economies.

All respondents said they planned additional capital deployment within Asia, with 90% focused on ASEAN markets, 77% targeting domestic investment and 64% considering China.

By comparison, 31% were evaluating investment opportunities in the United States and 24% in the European Union.

Automation and artificial intelligence ranked as the leading investment priorities, followed by market expansion and cybersecurity initiatives.

Eight in 10 respondents also said they were likely to shift more suppliers or production activities into ASEAN by 2028.

The ASEAN intra-Asia investment trend highlights strengthening regionalisation across Asian supply chains and corporate investment strategies.