Artificial intelligence and digital transformation will be among the key topics at a regional summit in Manila on November 11, as Mastercard and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) bring together business and government leaders to discuss how technology can support more inclusive economic growth across Southeast Asia.
The 2026 ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit, organised by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth in partnership with ASEAN-BAC Philippines, will be held alongside the 48th ASEAN Summit under the theme “Resilient and Rising.”
Discussions will examine how AI and digital tools are changing the way small businesses operate, reach customers and access markets, as well as the role of financial health in ensuring that economic growth benefits a wider section of the population.
The summit will also cover tourism, the creator economy and ways ASEAN economies can strengthen partnerships amid increasing fragmentation in the global economy.
Southeast Asia, home to more than 700 million people and around 70 million micro, small and medium enterprises, is seeking to sustain economic growth while widening access to opportunities for businesses, workers and communities.
Confirmed speakers include Mastercard Vice Chairman and President for Strategic Growth Jon Huntsman, Shangri-La Group Chairman and Chief Executive Kuok Hui Kwong, Trip.com Chief Executive Jane Sun, and SM Investments Vice Chairperson Teresita Sy-Coson.
Other speakers include Ayala Corporation Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Singapore Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How, actress and entrepreneur Kylie Verzosa, singer and actress Lea Salonga, and actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian Angelina Jolie.
The event is the second of three ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summits planned through 2027 under a collaboration between Mastercard’s inclusive growth arm and ASEAN-BAC.
The partnership was announced in August 2025 to bring regional and business leaders together to promote sustainable economic growth through innovation and cooperation.
The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur in 2025, while the third is scheduled to take place in Singapore in 2027.
