Foreign direct investment in Southeast Asia rose to a record $246 billion in 2025, according to the ASEAN Investment Report 2026. Intangible-related activities accounted for 56 percent of investment projects across the region.
The report was launched on Nov. 14 at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Manila. It found that FDI inflows to ASEAN surpassed inflows to East Asia for the first time since the early 1990s.
The report is titled Foreign Direct Investment and Intangibles Development. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) prepared it with support from the Australian government's Aus4ASEAN Futures program.
Nine ASEAN member states recorded higher FDI flows, said Richard Bolwijn, UNCTAD's director of investment research. ASEAN now draws about 15 percent of global FDI flows.
Digital economy and communications projects, largely reflecting data center investment, accounted for 46 percent of megadeal value, the study says. Semiconductor projects accounted for 24 percent. Investment increased in both industries.
