Southeast Asia’s six largest bourses unveil 2026 plan to lure foreign capital
Bursa Malaysia said six Southeast Asian stock exchanges will coordinate structural reforms, digital upgrades and regional integration in a bid to attract foreign investors by the Thailand Focus 2026 forum in August 2026.
Source: Kaohoon International · August 26, 2026 at 2:31 PM · AI-assisted report
Single-sourceKUALA LUMPUR, BANGKOK, 26 AUGUST 2026 —
Bursa Malaysia said six Southeast Asian stock exchanges will coordinate structural reforms, digital upgrades and regional integration in a bid to attract foreign investors by the Thailand Focus 2026 forum in August 2026.
Market Impact
The exchanges—Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam—said the region’s capital markets remain underweight globally despite ASEAN’s projected rise as the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2040.
Dato’ Fad’l Mohamed, chief executive of Bursa Malaysia, said the exchange logged 60 initial public offerings in 2025 that raised nearly RM6 billion and carried a combined market capitalisation of RM27.4 billion, a pace it sustained in the first half of 2026 with 42 listings that also raised about RM6 billion.
Malaysia’s diversified sectors and domestic institutional investors can deploy more than RM28 billion of fresh capital, while its Islamic capital market is the largest globally with 80% of the local market compliant with Shariah principles. The country ranks sixth in global semiconductor exports with a 13% share of chip assembly and testing.
Irvan Susandy, director of trading and membership at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), said the exchange is on track to demutualise into a public company by year-end or early 2027 under a new legal framework agreed with the Financial Services Authority (OJK). IDX will upgrade its trading infrastructure in December and this month launched five gold ETFs. It serves more than 30 million investor accounts, of which roughly 30% are active traders.
Ramon S. Monzon, president and CEO of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), said the market’s price-to-earnings ratio of 9.56x compares with its historical average of 12–13x and an ASEAN range of 13–17x, offering a valuation discount. Listed firms post average profit margins of 14%, third in ASEAN after Singapore and Indonesia, while private consumption at 75% of GDP and a young population underpin growth of 6–7% as reforms take hold.
Loh Boon Chye, CEO of Singapore Exchange (SGX), said Southeast Asian and South Asian companies now make up 20% of the mainboard, reinforcing SGX’s role as the region’s capital gateway.
Asadej Kongsiri, president of the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), outlined a plan to serve as “The Trusted Gateway to Inclusive Opportunities” to mobilise capital and support stable growth.
Dang Tai An Trang, deputy CEO of Vietnam Exchange (VNX), said the bourse is building its market around four pillars—accessibility, quality, product range and credibility—to reinforce Vietnam’s position as one of Asia’s fastest-growing and strategically located capital markets.
The exchanges did not quantify the expected foreign inflows or set a timeline for the reforms.
Related: Bursa Malaysia · Dato’ Fad’l Mohamed