The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank ( AIIB ) hosted its first Asean Connectivity Day in Kuala Lumpur, positioning the forum as a working platform to advance cross-border energy connectivity and mobilize private capital across the Southeast Asian regional bloc.

The event gathered policymakers, utilities, financiers, and infrastructure specialists to address the growing regional challenge of translating energy transition targets into investable projects.

Discussions centred on renewable energy deployment, grid modernization, and regional power trade, with a strong focus on cost allocation, system integration, and the role of standards and digital tools in enabling cross-border electricity markets.

The Connectivity Day builds on US$6 billion in letters of intent signed in October 2025 with Malaysia-based financial institutions, including Maybank, CIMB, AmBank, and Bank Pembangunan Malaysia, which seek to scale green and technology-enabled infrastructure across the region.

Malaysia’s own domestic energy transition priorities featured prominently. The country is targeting 70% renewable installed generation capacity by 2050, a goal that will require significant long-tenor financing and deeper private sector participation.

Officials note that multilateral development banks can play a critical role in crowding in capital by reducing risk and supporting complex, cross-border structures.

“Malaysia has been a strategic partner in AIIB’s development journey and a key market for mobilizing private capital into sustainable infrastructure,” says Kim-See Lim, chief investment officer, public sector ( Region 1 ) and financial institutions and funds ( global ) clients, at AIIB.

“Through platforms like Asean Connectivity Day and FEM ( Forum Eokonomi Malaysia ) 2026, we are focused on moving from ambition to action, turning investor interest into bankable pipelines that advance energy transition, strengthen connectivity, and deliver tangible economic and climate benefits for Malaysia and the wider Asean region.”

AIIB used the forum to highlight its capacity to support public and private sector financing under a single balance sheet, an approach designed to align policy objectives with long-term capital and execution.