The 2026 Milken Institute Asia Summit hasn’t happened yet, but it opens about a week from now. Here’s what’s we know so far.
2026 Milken Institute Asia Summit details:
When and where: The summit runs October 7–9, 2026, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore. Singapore is its settled home for now, since the Institute signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Singapore Tourism Board to anchor the Asia Summit in Singapore from 2026 to 2028.
Theme and focus. This year’s theme is “Leading with Intelligence.” It’s the 13th edition, and it puts artificial intelligence at the center, with public sessions and private roundtables built around the topic. The Institute frames the event against escalating global geopolitical tensions and rapid technological advancement. Beyond AI, the programme covers AI investment and sovereignty, capital access, health, and sustainability.
The regional angle is clear from comments by Kevin Lu, the Milken Institute’s chair of Asia. He pointed to China’s push on global AI governance, Japan’s renewed investment strategy in AI and semiconductors, and South Korea’s large bets on memory chips and AI data centers as evidence that Asia is becoming a global engine of technological innovation and capital formation.
Caption: The writer together with her fellow speakers (L to R): James H. Shin, President of Hybe America and John P., producer of Crazy Rich Asians in September 2024.
Who is attending: The summit typically draws over 1,500 C-suite executives, business leaders, global investors, policymakers, philanthropists, and innovators to discuss issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region. It is invitation-led, aimed at institutional investors, sovereign funds, policymakers, and corporate leaders across Asia. The format mixes panels, fireside chats, private roundtables, and curated networking. You can follow along without an invitation, because all public panel discussions will be broadcast live on the Milken Institute’s website.
Some of the speakers include Jill Biden, Chair, Milken Institute Women’s Health Network; Alexis Ohanian, Co-founder of Reddit; Lotay Tshering, Governor, Gelephu Mindfulness City Bhutan; Eugene Lee, APAC CMO, CHAGEE; Adena Friedman, Chair and CEO, Nasdaq; Hanno Kirner, CEO, Dyson and more.
As with previous years, there are a few known celebrities and personalities who’ve graced the event, namely Simu Liu, Aunty Sima from Netflix’s Indian Matchmaking, Super Junior’s Siwon Choi, actress Raline Shah, and actor Manny Jacinto.
This year, the list is equally stellar: we are seeing Lost and Avatar actor Daniel Dae Kim in the list, together with Jenson Button, Ambassador of Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team; Saina Nehwal, Badminton Player and Olympic Medalist; and Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 Team.
Website: https://milkeninstitute.org/events/asia-summit-2026
