On 26th March 2021, the Economic Club of Kuala Lumpur and KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific organised a webinar discussion Opportunities and Challenges in 2021 for Private Equity in Asia. Speakers include Mrs. Lim Hwee Hua, Co-Chairman of Tembusu Partners, Mr. Ganen Sarvananthan, Co-Managing Partner of TPG Capital Asia, and Mr. Syed Yasir Arafat bin Syed Abdul Kadir, Chief Executive Officer of Ekuiti Nasional Berhad (Ekuinas). The webinar was co-moderated by Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Chairman of Bursa Malaysia who is also Chairman of the Economic Club of Kuala Lumpur’s International Advisory Council, and Mr. Jonathan Ong, Treasurer of ECKL.

The following keypoints were made by speakers during the webinar:

• There has been a great shift towards new alternative assets classes such as ESG, technology, and real estate, particularly around data centres and logistics infrastructure which will serve as main drivers of growth.
• Governments should seek effective cooperation with the private sector to spur demand for investment activities as ASEAN is still considered an attractive destination for investments.
• The private equity space has evolved substantially over the years with changes to its themes and methodology. Large amount of funds, with specific windows for investment and exits, will shape the behaviour of private equity firms around the world.
• Tax regulators have to keep up with the continuous evolution of private equity to ensure that its benefits are rightly returned in terms of tax payments to the economy.
• COVID-19 has led to a “hard reset” of several sectors and greatly accelerated the digitalisation process. However, it should not be used as an excuse for ignoring existing challenges.