AVPN Asia

Education is one of the most impactful investments a country can make. It supports economic growth, better health, gender equity, climate resilience and future skills. When education improves, other outcomes improve too. Yet the investments with the greatest potential impact are often expected to deliver results most quickly. Education systems do not work that way. They change over time, shaped by policy, teaching practice and local context. This creates a clear challenge.

This report is designed as a practical tool for philanthropic foundations, corporate and family offices, public-sector entities, and international partners seeking to understand, navigate, and collaborate within Saudi Arabia’s impact ecosystem. It provides a structured analysis of how the ecosystem is evolving in alignment with Vision 2030, mapping key actors, institutions, and capital flows that shape impact outcomes in the Kingdom.

This piece unpacks the lived reality of heat stress in India’s dyeing industry, drawing from fieldwork in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. It shows how rising temperatures affect factory conditions and negatively impact the wellbeing of workers. Through on-ground accounts, it highlights the systemic gaps that leave small units vulnerable. Each summer, India breaks new temperature records, and talks of heatwaves and climate change gain urgency.

Nonprofits across Southeast Asia are doing more to meet the region’s rising social and environmental needs. Yet, the support they get from funders and intermediary organisations falls far short of providing what they need to invest in operational capabilities such as leadership development, governance and strategy. In a three-country survey, almost three-quarters cite limited access to multiyear funding as a major constraint.

Asia, home to over half the world’s population, stands on the frontlines of a rapidly changing planet. From intensifying floods and heatwaves to worsening food and water insecurity, climate-driven shocks are disrupting lives, livelihoods, and futures across the region. To navigate these complexities, the region requires an additional USD 1.1 trillion annually to strengthen infrastructure and safeguard vital public health, food, water, and energy systems.

The Climate-Health Challenge Climate change is no longer a distant environmental threat in Asia-Pacific—it is a growing health emergency. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and the spread of diseases are placing increasing pressure on vulnerable communities and health systems.

The climate crisis has moved past the point where financial systems can stay neutral. As temperatures rise and communities are pushed to their limits, capital allocation is now a moral question, not just a technical one. Addressing this scale of harm requires more than sustainability. It calls for active divestment from the industries driving the harm and active reinvestment in alternatives.

There is a familiar story told about women’s entrepreneurship in India. It usually begins with potential, the woman who has a skill, a product, a customer base built through years of informal exchange and ends with a funding gap that no one quite bridges. The story is accurate, but incomplete. Because the gap is rarely only financial.

As the global transition toward sustainability accelerates, The Shanghai Commercial & Savings Bank and the Taiwan Impact Investing Association (TIIA) co-hosted the “Family Sustainable Legacy and Impact Investing Forum.” The forum was moderated by Francine Wu, board director of the Taiwan Impact Investing Association (TIIA) and Chair of the Pension Fund Association, R.O.C. It brought together leaders from the financial industry, family office representatives, and venture capital founders,...

Gender Lens Investing (GLI) which integrates factors like women’s leadership, pay equity, and inclusive workplace practices into investment decisions has largely been concentrated in private markets. Yet public markets present a powerful opportunity to scale impact, influence corporate behavior, and embed gender equity within mainstream ESG strategies. Despite growing interest, GLI still represents less than 0.01% of the global USD 103 trillion AUM highlighting a significant gap and opportunity.