Asia is at an inflection point. Withdrawal of aid, shifting global priorities, and declining bilateral support have left communities exposed, revealing the risks of external donor reliance. For decades, the region’s development has been tethered to Global North agendas, but that era is waning, and mobilizing Asia's regional wealth for a climate-resilient future is gaining steam.

Asia’s domestic wealth is rising rapidly. Singapore’s family offices have grown tenfold to over 2,000 since 2019, and in 2024, India mobilised $16 billion in social sector funding; Indonesia raised $2.6 billion through zakat (Islamic giving) collections; and Pakistan’s corporate giving reached $91.5 million. Meanwhile, domestic community foundations have been on the rise and corporate responsibility mandates are strengthening across the region.

Yet much of this growing wealth stays within national boundaries. ‘Asia-to-Asia’ giving is working where infrastructure exists, but it remains limited relative to need. Pressing regional problems—from climate change and food security to human trafficking and pandemic preparedness—transcend national borders, and the question is no longer whether Asia has the resources, but how to scale its already effective systems. The real opportunity is to channel Asia’s growing wealth into regional, cross-border solutions.

Why Regional Collaboration Matters

Asia’s challenges rarely respect borders. Rising sea levels in Bangladesh displace workers who migrate across the region; air pollution generated in one country drifts across state lines; and trafficking networks operate transnationally. In Southeast Asia, aid volatility, migration, and climate risks are colliding, creating both pressure and opportunity for problem-solving.

Addressing these challenges requires philanthropic flows that extend reach and resilience, and effective regional giving that is:

  • Cross-border: Connecting concentrated wealth with urgent needs;
  • Collaborative: Pooling resources and mutualising risk; and
  • Complementary: Working alongside global philanthropy but grounded in local legitimacy and regional accountability.

As it stands, however, current practices rarely satisfy these qualities and the Sattva–WINGS (2025) study underscores a key structural inefficiency.

Without more intentional regional participation, Asia risks building parallel systems where global aid continues to dominate regional initiatives while domestic capital remains confined to national contexts. The future lies in aligning domestic and regional giving.

Early Lessons in Mobilizing Asia's Regional Wealth: India and Indonesia

India and Indonesia illustrate how maturing philanthropic systems are beginning to mobilise domestic capital, creating a foundation for regional collaboration. In both contexts, domestic funders now support ecosystem-building and systemic solutions, even as cross-border engagement remains limited.

Read the full article about mobilizing Asia's wealth for a climate-resilient future by Suvodeep Saha, Sue Toomey, and Meera Harish at Alliance Magazine.