Philanthropy Asia Summit: Asian leaders push for digital infrastructure, strong regional ties

Digital infrastructure development with a focus on AI-driven growth, sustainability and strengthening regional connectivity and trust emerged as key themes at the sixth annual Philanthropy Asia Summit, which concluded on May 20 in Singapore.

Leaders from the corporate sector, local organizations and multilateral bodies highlighted both the challenges and opportunities for philanthropy in Asia. Discussions focused on the readiness of philanthropic institutions to address regional issues such as climate change, health, education, green energy, gender equality and inclusive growth.

Speakers from the startup ecosystem, finance and philanthropy highlighted the need for stronger support systems and collaborative platforms to ensure strategic investments translate into meaningful cross-border impact.

Delegates from India, China and Southeast Asian countries highlighted the urgent need to build a robust digital infrastructure to improve efficiency, increase transparency and maximize the impact of projects implemented across Asia.

The three-day summit themed “Asian Innovation, Global Good” brought together experts and organizations from various fields to discuss common regional challenges, strengthen partnerships and explore ways to improve funding mobilization, coordination and project implementation.

Institutional and collaborative models

Shaun Seow, CEO of Philanthropy Asia Alliance, a Temasek Trust initiative, emphasized the need to move away from traditional/family and charitable philanthropy to more institutional and collaborative models to address common challenges facing Asian nations. He said greater cooperation among Asian countries is necessary to identify common challenges and ensure sustainable and inclusive development.

Shalini Jalan, Head of Collaboration and Partnerships at Temasek Trust, highlighted the importance of financial inclusion and said AI-based governance should be adopted to maximize public good and ensure accountability in philanthropic initiatives. Anna Koivuniemi, who leads the Google DeepMind Impact Accelerator, highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence in areas such as weather forecasting and managing communicable diseases.

Some speakers noted that while funding was available, identifying strategic and impact projects remained a major challenge.

Technology to remove cultural barriers

Young entrepreneurs involved in philanthropy said technology should be used to remove cultural barriers to cross-border collaboration and networking. Delegates from India and China pointed to a lack of data transparency, which they said hindered the sharing of best practices and the effective use of philanthropic resources.

During a session titled “Regional Focus: China,” speakers discussed the growth of philanthropy in China since the 1980s and highlighted collaboration between government, industry and donors to mobilize resources.

While success stories from India, China and several Southeast Asian countries dominated the discussions during the summit, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal were relatively underrepresented.

Philanthropic cooperation

On the last day, Mr. Seow reflected on the growing importance of philanthropic cooperation in an increasingly polarized world. He announced a new partnership between the Philanthropy Asia Alliance and Tsinghua University in China to promote knowledge exchange, research and innovation.

Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam attended the final session of the summit.

Published – 20 May 2026 14:13 IST