Investor
APAC Forum 2025
26 - 27 March 2025,
Sands Expo and Convention Centre Singapore
Asia's leading private debt conference
The 5th annual Private Debt Investor APAC Forum will return to Singapore on 26-27 March 2025. Join 300+ attendees including 100+ APAC investors to discuss the latest private debt strategies to support your growth in the region.
Connect with APAC’s leading investors and discover the emerging opportunities investors are exploring for 2025.
Key conversations include:
- Investor interests: Hear why APAC LPs are optimising and diversifying their private credit allocations across a range of strategies
- Outlook & forecast: Consider how private debt markets are adapting to and embracing elevated interest in the asset class
- Funds-in-focus: How flexible and creative solutions are defining the identity of Asia Pacific private lenders
- Manager spotlight: Understand which approaches by international managers are attracting Asia Pacific investors
This is your chance to fast-track your strategies and fundraising in the region.
2024 investor attendees included:
Two days worth of networking and connections
2024 Keynotes
Keynote interview with MA Financial Group
Private credit: an all-weather strategy or a passing phase?
Frank Danieli (left)
Managing Director, Head of Credit Investments and Lending
MA Financial Group
Frank has discussed the structural evolution taking place in private credit, presenting a generational opportunity to lend in areas previously dominated by banks.
Hear insights from Frank as to why he believes the attractive return/low volatility dynamic could be more enduring than some fear.
Keynote fireside chat
Private Debt Investor x Monetary Authority of Singapore
Cheng Khai Lim (left)
Executive Director, Financial Markets Development Department
Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
Cheng Khai Lim, executive director at MAS(left) and our senior editor, Andy Thomson(right) had an insightful dialogue discovering the growth opportunities and the future road map of APAC private debt to empower you to be more resilient in a volatile market.
2024 featured speakers included:
Download the post-event report today to discover:
- Investor attendee list
- Our featured speakers
- Key trends shaping the investor allocation
- Key highlights from the conference and much more.
What our attendees say
Dom Beckers, Portfolio Manager
Victorian Funds Management Corporation
A great opportunity to discuss amongst peers in the private debt space
Tristan Miao
Private credit investment, D.E. Shaw
Key trends in APAC private debt and networking with other funds.
Mouhammad Shahjahan
Head of Debt Services, Asia Pacific, MUFG Investor Services
A diverse set of views revolving private debt in Asia were covered by great panelists, which is hard to find at a single forum.
Apply for an institutional Investor complimentary pass
A limited number of complimentary passes are available for allocators and institutional investors to join the event.
To qualify for a complimentary pass, you must meet the eligibility criteria in representing a pension fund, insurance company, trust, sovereign wealth fund, foundation, endowment, single family office or corporate who are actively making fund commitments and do not engage in third-party fundraising activities or collect fees for advisory/consulting services.
Apply for a pass and a member of our team will follow up with you.
Raise your profile among senior private debt decision-makers
Build and develop your company’s brand image, strengthen your market credibility, and meet your investment and business goals. Sponsorship gives you:
- VIP access
- Thought-leadership opportunities
- High-profile branding
- And much more …
For more information on available sponsorship opportunities, please contact Beth Piercy at beth.p@pei.group or call +44 20 7566 5464.
2024 Sponsors
Get the latest event updates
Pre-Event Resources
Download key conversation topics
Download the agenda to learn how you can capitalise on the opportunities arising from the private debt space.
Key programme highlights include:
- How do family offices and institutional investors see private debt opportunities and their risk-return profiles?
- Understand the unique values generated from the APAC private debt in global markets
- Strategy deep dive into Direct lending, distressed, specialty finance and venture debt
- Position your firm for growth opportunities in real asset debts and asset-backed securities
- Manager research: Keys to be successful emerging managers in Asia
- Create valuable exit through ESG, corporate governance and due diligence
Tell us your preferred topics or ask your burning questions to our producer, David Stent (david.stent@pei.group)
2024 Agenda:
Agenda
PDI APAC Forum 2024 - Pre-conference - Tuesday 26th
PDI Women’s Roundtable and Networking Cocktail, sponsored by Apex (Open to women only, RSVP required)
Participants can join roundtable discussions and exchange insights with industry peers in the private debt community. Hearing other senior women how to build successful career in private markets, how they use their nurturing skills to their advantage and perspectives on whether the diversity related KPIs deliver improved gender balance. Please RSVP to niann.l@pei.group to secure a place.
Agenda
PDI APAC Forum 2024 - Main Day 1 - Wednesday 27th
Registration and welcome refreshment
PDI's welcome remarks and introduction
Opening panel: Will Asian private debt emerge stronger than ever?
- How is the uncertainty around the direction of interest rates affecting the prospects for Asian credit? What trends are shaping the growth of private debt in Asia?
- Which countries in Asia would managers say have improved the most their enforcement legal environment in the recent years? What are each market’s nuances and regulatory challenges respectively?
- Is Asian private debt a strategic or tactical opportunity set? What are the likely returns to private debt in major markets – from senior debt to mezzanine – across each largely industry type?
- Is the market going to get more fragmented or more consolidated going forward?
Panel: Where is the sweet spot for direct lending?
- How do structures vary in the upper-mid and lower-mid direct lending, how do covenants protect investors?
- Given the current volatility, which regions should allocators be prioritizing for exposure?
- How do risk-adjusted returns on non-sponsor-backed loans compare to those of sponsor-backed?
Networking break
Keynote interview: Private credit: an all-weather strategy or a passing phase?
• How private credit has evolved as more lending transitions outside the traditional banking system
• The evolving landscape for private credit in Australia and the US
• The unusual circumstances at present where private credit is delivering equity-like returns, but with the capital protections and lower volatility that debt brings
Panel: APAC perspectives: The art of manager selection
- How do APAC investors differentiate global vs local fund managers?
- What are the key considerations when choosing their investment partners and challenges in assessing managers in this space compared with other asset classes?
- What are appetite shifts can we expect from APAC investors in 2024?
Panel: The new-look distressed opportunity
- The underlying condition of Asian economies has been less obscured by extensive support measures, what does this imply for the opportunistic credit, special situations, and non-performing loan segments?
- Most of the defaults were in the US or Europe – how might it impact on Asia? Where are we in the credit cycle across the different regions?
- How has the creditor protection and regulatory environment developed for distressed debt assets in different jurisdictions?
- Has liability management transactions become more prevalent vs a company filing for bankruptcy?
- What do investors think about India’s NPL opportunities, Chinese real estate market and hospitality space?
Dylan Szymanski
Executive Managing Director and Head of Europe and Asia Corporate Credit, Sculptor
Read bioNetworking lunch
PEI presents: Private debt in numbers
Panel: Spotlight on Australia and New Zealand
- On comparative global scale how much can an institutional investor deploy in Australia debt market and gain the appropriate diversification?
- What could drive further growth of the Australian private debt market. How will the regulatory pressure on banks influence this growth?
- What kind of covenants in Australian private debt are most influential in the pricing structure and what are the trade-offs?
Networking break
Panel: Thriving amid change: Mainstream vs alternative credit strategies
- How does performing private credit can address Asia’s capital gaps?
- How have specialty finance structures changed relative to other debt strategies?
- Venture debt is the rapidly emerging asset class, why this strategy is ripe for the picking?
- Deep dive across debt capital structures and emerging markets
Lakshmi Iyer
Chief Executive Officer – Investment & Strategy, Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (KAAML)
Read bioPanel: Sustainable private debt
- What ESG objectives drive private credit allocations and what key metrics capture these objectives?
- Does an increased focus on ESG genuinely enhance the investment process? Can ESG really work in a private debt context given the short tenors?
- What technological improvements can fund managers implement to increase the performance of private debt investments?
- Looking forward, what are some of the opportunities for private credit in infrastructure and climate finance?
Closing remarks by Day 1 Chair
Roundtable discussions with drinks: Deep dive into private credit markets
An excellent opportunity to discuss different opportunities and credit cycles in major Asian markets. Each table is hosted by a facilitator. Share your experience and hear from industry peers. All attendees are welcome.
- Roundtable 1: Australia and New Zealand
- Roundtable 2: Northeast Asia: China, Japan, South Korea, etc
- Roundtable 3: Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, etc
- Roundtable 4: South Asia: India and other frontiers
Networking reception, sponsored by Afreximbank
Agenda
PDI APAC Forum 2024 - Main Day 2 - Thursday 28th
Investor-only networking breakfast
Exclusive for LPs, off the record, peer to peer discussions focused on the latest trends facing institutional investors and family offices. Please RSVP to niann.l@pei.group.
Registration and networking
Welcome remarks from Day 2 Chair
Kher Sheng Lee
Managing Director, Co-Head of APAC and Deputy Global Head of Government Affairs, AIMA / ACC
Read bioOpening keynote fireside chat
Panel: The next chapter of private debt
- What do managers and investors think about the value proposition of Asia private credit compared to US and Europe in terms of valuation and risks?
- What are the megatrends we should be aware of, after the fat tail events including banks fail, interest rate hikes, regulation considering the SEC Private Funds rules, rising geopolitical risks, etc.
- A big boost for debt secondaries – where are the opportunities now?
Networking break
Keynote panel: How investors have embraced private debt
- How are allocators thinking about sizing and how much goes into private credit?
- How APAC private credit features in the portfolios of global institutional investors?
- Much of the growth in private debt has been in direct lending – Is this where global investors are growing their exposure in private debt?
Panel: Sourcing liquidity and navigating through volatility: Public markets vs private markets
- Private debt funds take advantages of reduced appetite among banks to support leveraged financings, what are the predictions for private markets vs public markets for the next decade?
- What price illiquidity? Will private credit firms suffer alongside private equity sponsors, as the latter struggle to identify exits?
- What are potential impacts from bank market turmoil on the investor’s allocation plans?
Panel: What is driving family offices more toward private markets?
- How do family offices view the current private debt market and tensions in the banking sector?
- To what extent are family offices investing in alternatives and real assets debt buckets?
- Emerging managers or global credit managers – how would family offices choose?
Closing remarks and Networking lunch
View the crucial topics our speakers will discuss
THe 2025 agenda will be available soon.
Want to join our industry-leading speaking faculty? Contact David Stent today.
2024 Confirmed speakers:
Mohd Sedek Bin Jantan
Head of Wealth Research and Advisory, Designated Portfolio Manager, UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors
Lakshmi Iyer
Chief Executive Officer – Investment & Strategy, Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (KAAML)
Dr. Guan Seng Khoo
Quant/Risk Management and AI, Public Pension and Sovereign Wealth Fund Investment Expert
Kher Sheng Lee
Managing Director, Co-Head of APAC and Deputy Global Head of Government Affairs, AIMA / ACC
Cheng Khai Lim
Executive Director, Financial Markets Development Department, Monetary Authority of Singapore
Pramod Vijayasankar
Lead Investment Officer, Investment Operations, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Institutional Investors at the APAC Forum
The PDI APAC Forum provides an unrivalled platform for over 300 attendees including APAC’s leading institutional investors and allocators to gather and discuss private debt investments.
Discover the hottest strategies, best practices, and regional insights so you can come out with a breath of insights to accelerate your portfolio growth.
A limited number of complimentary passes for the event are available for institutional investors. Explore why this is the must-attend private debt event for institutional investors and see who you can meet. Apply for a complimentary pass for you or your team to join this flagship event.
2024 investor attendees included:
Investors at PDI APAC Forum 2025
The forum is the largest meeting place for institutional and private investors, and other members of the private debt community in Asia Pacific.
Check out the benefits of joining the conference and who among your peers you will be joining. Apply for a complimentary pass for your or your team today.
What to expect at the Forum?
2024 leading investor speakers included:
Fabrizio Bocciardi
Head of Credit Investments, Mubadala
David Chua
CIO, Income Insurance
Kee Heng Chuah
Managing Director, Temasek Trust Capital
Wendy Fergie
Chief Investment Officer, Wealth Pi Fund
Kulbhushan Kalia
Senior Portfolio Manager, Allianz Global Investors
Leslie Lim
Investment Director, Tsao Family Office
Chau Ly
Managing Director, Co-Head of Hong Kong Office, Aksia
Duane Perera
Investment Director, Future Fund
Dr. Lulu Wang
Portfolio Strategist – Global Private Markets' Solutions, abrdn
What to expect on the event day
100+
Institutional Investors
50+
Speakers
300+
Attendees
Investor-exclusive networking breakfast
Our investor only breakfast took place on day 2, 28 March 2024 alongside with our thought-leading speakers from ADM Capital, Australia Future Fund, and Mubadala to discuss hot private debt strategies shaping investor allocations.
Apply for your complimentary pass to partake in intimate networking with your peers.
Apply for a complimentary Institutional Investor pass
A limited number of complimentary passes are available for allocators and institutional investors to join the event.
Complimentary investor passes are limited to foundations, endowments, insurance companies, single-family offices, sovereign wealth funds and pension funds who are actively making fund commitments and do not engage in third-party fundraising activities or collect fees for advisory/consulting services.
Apply for a pass and a member of our team will follow up with you.
Gallery
Connect with and benchmark against your investor peers. Partake in roundtable discussions, networking luncheon and investor-focussed sessions to explore new investment opportunities so you can gain insights and latest strategies to generate risk-adjusted returns.
See key insights from the Forum
Post-Event Resources
Presentation: Highlights of the private debt fundraising trends
By Andy Thomson, Private Debt Investor
Keynote presentation: Macroeconomic outlook for APAC: Emerging risks and impacts
By Clarence Wong, Peak Reinsurance
Presentation: Spotlight on China’s short and long-term outlook
By Louis Kuijs Chief Economist, Asia Pacific, S&P Global Ratings
Join us again
Capturing opportunities across private debt space
Join Asia’s premier networking place for private debt institutional investors, family offices, senior leaders and the biggest fund managers at PDI APAC Forum for a series of interactive networking focusing on different stacks in private debt.
What to expect?
2 days of
Networking
100+
Investors
300+
Global leaders
2024 investor attendees included:
Meet with senior decision-makers in private debt
Meet with 300+ attendees including institutional investors, leading fund managers, and strategic advisors from across the Asia-Pacifc at the APAC Forum.
Explore the attendee profiles and key highlights from the 2024 event in the post-show report.
Why APAC Forum?
Testimonials from regional investors and allocators
Malcolm Ong
Associate Director, Atelier Capital Partners
It was a great networking opportunity to meet various fund managers on their views on the credit market and their debt strategies.
Karun Marwah
Endue Capital
A great time spent with a quality crowd, with quality perspectives and a common pursuit.
A Marwah
Orca Credit
A brilliant conference and networking event that covers all aspects of the private debt markets and connects people who work in them.
Key trends shaping industry conversations:
- Investor stage: How do family offices and institutional investors see private debt opportunities and their risk-return profiles?
- Outlook & forecast: How will the APAC credit space evolve over the next five years?
- Strategy lab: Zooming into direct lending, distressed debt, special situations, and venture debt through an investor lens
- Macroscopic and microscopic view on private debt capital dynamics and strategy return profiles
Our leading advisory board in 2024
Interested in speaking at PDI APAC Forum next year? Please contact David Stent today.