Technology will play a key role in the development of infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific in the coming years. Although the pandemic disrupted projects at the height of the health emergency during the second and third quarters of 2020, the focus on infrastructure as a pillar to restart economic activity in the region remains.

This was the key takeaway at the part one of The Asset’s 6th Sustainable Infrastructure Finance Leadership Series: Infrastructure Reimagined: State of Play. The webinar attracted attendance from 23 countries from the Asia-Pacific, Europe, UK, and North America including project sponsors, investors, financial institutions, and regulators from the region.

Indeed, as the region moves to the next phase, sustainable infrastructure will become a critical component of that strategy as governments, project sponsors, and investors accelerate the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into their assessments.

Sharing their views at The Asset Events+ webinar were Gillian Tan, assistant managing director, development and international group, at the Monetary Authority of Singapore; Seth Tan, executive director, Infrastructure Asia; Prasad Gadkari, executive director and chief strategy officer, National Investment and Infrastructure Fund; Sam Ong, chief financial officer, Vena Energy; Ray Tay, senior vice-president, project and infrastructure finance group, Moody's Investors Service; and Daniel Mallo, managing director, head of natural resources & infrastructure, Asia Pacific, at Société Générale.

In ten years, Asia has become the world leader in terms of renewable energy capacity accounting for 46% of the global total in 2020 from less than 33% at the start of the decade. The region’s renewable energy output in 2020 is twice that of Europe and more than four times that of the United States.