Conference Presentation, Panel, Fireside Chat
The New Geography of Growth: Cities, Consumers, and Capital | Asia Summit 2026
- Growth in Asia is reshaped by aging demographics and technological shifts in discovery, operations, and city design, with capital concentrating in super cities including Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
- Six of the top 10 global financial centers are located in Asia, with New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai comprising the top five, while three of the top five are in Asia.
- Premium travel is projected to drive volume through space tickets priced at approximately $800,000 USD, while purposeful travel gains momentum from music festivals, concerts, and sports events like Tomorrowland.
- The "pro-leisure" trend is expected to drive volume to major cities including Singapore, Paris, London, and New York, particularly during holiday seasons.
- Manufacturing is expected to drive Singapore's growth for the current and upcoming years, while logistics represents a double-digit portion of its GDP.
- Companies plan to invest in an uncertain environment by prioritizing resilience and agility to shift supply chains, though all trillion-dollar AI companies are expected to seek headquarters in Asia, specifically Hong Kong, Singapore, or Shanghai, if sufficient talent is available.
- Singapore's value proposition is anticipated to rely on being "boring" to provide a risk-free foundation, while the city plans to build polders, seawalls, and raise land levels to combat rising sea levels, with the "Long Island" project starting at the end of the year.
- Industrial companies will likely be required to participate in coastal protection by gating or raising facility levels, while Singapore funds these measures to grant participating companies a resilience advantage.
- Climate change effects, such as falling glaciers and rising sea levels, are expected to impact cities over the next 10 to 50 years, posing significant threats alongside geopolitics.
- New York is establishing urban data centers for its financial sector, while Los Angeles has emerged as a surprising industrial innovation hub and Tokyo is developing a "startup hub vibe."
- Innovation districts will require high density with universities, companies, and residential areas within 100-200 meters, as seen in the Bay Area, San Diego, Boston, New York, Florida, and Sydney.
- AI is projected to enable personalized trip products and enhance content generation efficiency, though approximately 2% of travelers currently do not trust AI to complete bookings entirely.
- Human-led crisis resolution remains superior to AI for handling unexpected events like overbookings, while travel resilience will depend on financial mechanisms such as advancing refunds and partnership funds.
- Travelers expect rapid crisis response within two minutes for events like wars, including relocation and rescue efforts, while safety, innovation, and friendliness are primary factors preventing travelers from never returning to Asian cities.
- The "work from home" phenomenon is expected to be less relevant in Asia compared to Western markets, with no remote work observed in China during the pandemic.
- Human touch experiences in healthcare, tourism, and live events are expected to command a premium as AI becomes prevalent, leading to a bifurcation in city value between "making" and "having" experiences.
- Singapore plans to plant its strategy in both the AI supply chain, including chip design and data centers, and human activity, expecting OpenAI and Anthropic to grow in its CBD.
- Affordability challenges are expected to be unique for Singapore as a city-state without a hinterland, requiring an affordability nexus in housing, healthcare, transportation, and hawker centers to prevent talent loss.
- Cities must stay connected, trusted, and adaptable to succeed in the future growth map, as the bar for success rises regarding inflation, cost of living, healthcare, education, and infrastructure.