Australian government plans to increase investment in Southeast Asia

The A$2 billion Southeast Asia Investment Finance Facility (SEAIFF) is one of several measures recently announced by the Australian Government to encourage investment and strengthen trade ties between Australia and the Southeast Asia region.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the A$2 billion SEAIFF while hosting South East Asian government and business leaders at a special summit in Melbourne, Australia. SEAIFF is managed by Export Finance Australia (“EFA“), consistent with the key recommendations made in the Australian Government report.”Australia’s Southeast Asia economic strategy towards 2040“(“economic strategy), led by Australia’s Special Envoy for Southeast Asia, Nicholas Moore AO.

SEAIFF provides loans, guarantees, equity and insurance to finance energy transition and infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia, and was announced alongside a range of other initiatives including:

• Partnership for Infrastructure Programs – An additional A$140 million for a program to support Southeast Asian governments by providing infrastructure technical assistance (such as planning and procurement).and
• “Business Champion” – Key Australian business leaders selected to promote trade and investment with specific South East Asian countries.

The Australian government’s announcement comes as a shock in the context of bullish expectations surrounding Southeast Asia’s economic outlook. Southeast Asian countries are expected to become the world’s fourth largest economy by 2040, requiring significant infrastructure investment estimated at A$3 trillion by 2040. As geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific region rise with uncertainty, the Australian government’s efforts are also noteworthy.

What does this mean?

For developers and sponsors in Southeast Asia, details of SEAIFF’s eligibility criteria, availability dates, and other key commercial parameters have not yet been made public. These details will ultimately determine the long-term impact of his SEAIFF. But developers and sponsors can at least expect something similar to what happened when EFA’s investment powers were expanded in 2019, which increased EFA’s participation in infrastructure projects in Asia-Pacific (or in this case, Southeast Asia). will increase.

For Australian businesses, SEAIFF and other initiatives announced by the Australian Government provide opportunities for further trade and investment engagement with Southeast Asian countries. For example, it was announced that additional “landing pads” would be installed in Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to the existing one in Singapore. These ‘landing pads’ are designed to help Australian businesses enter new markets by supporting market insights, expansion strategies, and introductions to networks and venture capital. If successful, the economic strategy foresees expanding this model to other parts of Southeast Asia.

Shruti Sudarsan (White & Case, Associate, Melbourne) contributed to the development of this publication.

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