Conference Presentation, Panel
Asia's Rising Stars: Leading for 2037
- Con Hui Quek anticipates strong urbanization in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia in the immediate future as a primary opportunity for starter homes, while planning a continued focus on creative asset classes like student housing and data centers as traditional real estate markets stabilize; he explicitly excludes early-stage investments and sees the current Singapore residential market as facing policy uncertainty and unhinged demand-supply factors.
- APAC Capital Partners deems the China market too expensive with 30 times average EV EBITDA multiples for its mandate, though deals are welcome if priced correctly; Con Hui Quek emphasizes that separation of ownership and management is necessary for long-term business longevity.
- Alan Law forecasts faster growth in Australia, Japan, and the Maldives compared to Singapore and Hong Kong, while predicting the Singapore sharing economy will face legal and tax hurdles preventing significant adoption; he views the worst period for Chinese second-tier city hotel markets as over with demand growing 15-20% year-on-year, though he notes rising labor costs and 50-60% occupancy levels have recently suppressed profitability.
- Alan Law intends to expand the Park Hotel brand through new concepts and equity acquisitions to drive growth, while acknowledging the pressure to scale from one to 16 hotels in the Asia Pacific region at age 23-24.
- Raymond Rufino expects the rising middle class in Southeast Asia to be a powerful driver for housing, office space, and industrial logistics, specifically targeting opportunities outside the Philippines; he anticipates that locators will soon demand sustainability, forcing developers to move quickly to avoid obsolescence.
- Raymond Rufino identifies technology as a transformative sector, citing 3D printing for cost-effective remote island housing and social media's rapid adoption in the Philippines, where iFlix may surpass cable subscribers in approximately two years.
- Rufino predicts the Philippines will remain cash-based, creating an opportunity for Bitcoin and digital platforms to leapfrog legacy payment systems, while also committing to a "75% female" office composition to drive a women's leadership initiative.
- Isaiah Schultz characterizes space mining as a speculative concept with ideal structuring issues, suitable only for capital that can be lost entirely; he views Bitcoin as a valid exposure method for liquidity but acknowledges risks regarding its legitimacy.
- Schultz expects blockchain to scale across various sectors beyond Bitcoin and anticipates binary technology adoption in frontier markets like Mongolia, where entities must either adopt new technologies or remain on traditional paper-based systems.
- The speakers collectively highlight risks including high valuations in China, regulatory hurdles for sharing economies, sustainability pressures, and the volatility of crypto assets, while opportunities are concentrated in urbanization, mid-stage technology companies, specific real estate niches, and frontier market digital adoption.