Southeast Asia in June 2026: the most important developments in economy
In Southeast Asia in June 2026, energy was the leading economic theme. Malaysia's Fadillah said on 3 June that the energy transition is an economic necessity for ASEAN. On 20 June Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia's energy supplies are secure for decades after talks with Russia and new deals with Turkmenistan, where Petronas marked 30 years and signed new agreements. The Philippines was reported to be exploring nuclear cooperation with Russia.
Indonesia faced market turmoil. Its central bank delivered an off-cycle rate hike on 9 June to temper a market rout as the rupiah came under pressure. Danantara prepared a US bond roadshow as the rout deepened, CIMB said it was a good time to invest in Indonesia and sought acquisitions, and Purbaya courted Chinese investors ahead of a Panda bond issuance. On 25 June GoTo and Grab agreed to cut driver commissions in Indonesia to 8% after regulatory pressure and driver protests.
Trade and investment plans were shaped by global tension. Johari Ghani said Malaysia's US tariff rate could fall to 10% from 19%, though it was not finalised. Anwar warned against global powers weaponizing trade and invited Japanese firms to invest in AI and chips in Malaysia. Singapore's Prime Minister Wong described the US and China as caught in a mutually assured disruption, and Temasek chairman Teo Chee Hean said geopolitics has changed how Temasek invests; Temasek is betting $75 billion on artificial intelligence. Anutin planned to launch Thailand FastPass on 23 June to speed up investment and took charge of eight economic boards.
Among companies, Airbus confirmed on 17 June the cancellation of an AirAsia X order for 15 A330-900 aircraft, and AirAsia Philippines was ordered to cease operations over alleged unpaid airport fees. Singapore Airlines reported record revenue of $20.5 billion. Vinhomes said it will halt land acquisitions in Vietnam.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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