Transformational trends converging in Asia – some accelerated by the pandemic – could potentially unleash the region’s next wave of growth opportunities. “Opportunities are where people are. If we take a pair of compasses and draw a large circle on the map with Indonesia at the centre, and China and India also within it, we will find that there are more people living inside than outside the circle,” says Ms Caroline Loke, portfolio manager, Asia ex-Japan equity at PineBridge Investments. Drivers of post-Covid-19 growth in Asia With over more than half of the world’s population living in Asia-Pacific1, ample opportunities can be found in the region. Urbanisation is swelling the region’s cities. Asia is projected to have the largest urban population on the planet by 2050 – with implications on essential services, housing and sustainability, among others, for years to come.2 Not only that, the region’s demographics are primed for the next generation of technological innovations incubating in Asia – it has the world’s largest population of “digital natives”.3 This young and tech-savvy population is coming of age amid increasing wealth and consumption power. By 2027, 1.2 billion Chinese...