KOTA KINABALU: Over 300 professionals and industry players will be participating in a first-of-its-kind Sabah Asia-Pacific Impact Investing for Sustainable Development Summit (Sabah AIMS 2026) at Magellan on Monday and Tuesday.
They comprise leaders in various fields from Malaysia, Singaporea, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Bhutan, India, Australia, South Africa, France, Germany, Britain and America.
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They would examine practical pathways for mobilising capital towards high-impact social and environmental initiatives.
The summit aims to position Sabah as a regional hub and living laboratory for innovation and collaboration in impact investing for sustainable development, serving as a gateway that connects global capital with high-impact sustainable development opportunities across the Asia-Pacific.
Using the theme “Turn, Learn, Earn”, the summit draws inspiration from Sabah’s ancient fern ecosystems, which have survived and evolved for more than 360 million years. The symbolism reflects the summit core mission of resilience, adaptability, regeneration, and the ability to transform challenges into opportunities through knowledge, collaboration, and sustainable enterprise.
Also participating are representatives from more than 100 NGOs, social enterprises and sustainable development-focused organisations, as well as representatives of over 30 leading financial institutions, philanthropic foundations, charitable funds, capital providers, ESG service providers, and advisory firms.
The event initiated by Special Advisor to the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Andrew Sheng, is a premier regional platform dedicated to advancing sustainable development through impact investing.
Sheng said Sabah has a unique opportunity to become the living laboratory for accelerating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through impact investing when the world is struggling to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals fully by 2030 (only 18% achieved to date).
“Our Summit has received enthusiastic support. We aim to have a conversation on how to be practical in achieving our SDG aspirations, turning them into projects and programmes with the help of government, impact investors and civil society. In Sabah, we can make a difference,” he said.
Sheng said Sabah’s exceptional natural capital, together with huge biodiversity and culture, make her the perfect place to experiment, pilot and then scale practical sustainable, inclusive and green projects.
“We are getting lots of grassroot social entrepreneurs and matching them with impact investors so that people will come back next year and see for themselves the progress made. Our natural capital is by all for all. That’s the transformative game in Sabah Maju Jaya 2.0,” he said.
The Summit would be opened by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor, with a Special Address by Executive Chairman of Securities Commission Malaysia, Dato’ Mohammad Faiz Azmi.
Sabah is uniquely positioned as a living laboratory for sustainable development. Renowned globally for its biodiversity, ancient rainforests, marine ecosystems, and Mount Kinabalu, Sabah also faces important socio-economic challenges, particularly in underserved rural communities.
The summit seeks to address these realities through the lens of impact investing, a blended approach that combines financial sustainability with measurable social and environmental outcomes.
Discussions will explore innovative financing mechanisms including sustainable bonds and sukuk, venture equity, blended finance structures, and risk-sharing models supported by governments and multilateral institutions.
Sabah AIMS 2026 also builds upon regional thought leadership initiatives, including GIOAS’s international conference in Bhutan on operationalising Gross National Happiness, which explored alternative development models centred on human wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and high-end tourism.
Meanwhile, Datuk Josie Lai, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah (KePKAS), said Sabah possesses extraordinary natural and cultural assets, and this summit reflects Sabah’s aspiration to become not only a destination for tourism and biodiversity conservation, but also a regional hub for innovative ideas, partnerships, and investments that support inclusive and sustainable development.
She said Sabah AIMS 2026 provides an important regional platform to bring together investors, policymakers, academics, conservationists, and community leaders to explore how sustainable finance and impact investing can create meaningful and lasting benefits for both people and the environment.
The Summit’s Organising Chairperson Lim Hock Song said, “Sabah AIMS 2026 is envisioned not merely as a conference, but as a long term platform to foster meaningful collaboration and practical partnerships for sustainable development and impact investing across the Asia-Pacific region.”
Distinguished speakers include Prof. John W. Crawford, a leading academic in sustainability and complex systems; Ma Jun, Founder and President of the Institute of Finance and Sustainability (IFS) and Chairman of the Green Finance Committee of the China Society for Finance and Banking. Dato’ Seri Harry Cockrell, Co-founder and Chairman of The Habitat Foundation; Dr. Henry Chan, Senior Director, Strategic Conservation Partnership for WWF-Malaysia, with extensive experience in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management; Louise Heaps, WWF’s global lead on sustainable blue economy; Dato’ Omar Siddiq, Non-Independent Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HSBC Malaysia, and Datin Paduka Azalina Adham, Managing Director, Securities Commission Malaysia and a key figure in advancing sustainable finance and responsible investment initiatives in Malaysia, will provide invaluable inputs.
Sabah AIMS is jointly organised by the Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah, George Town Institute of Open and Advanced Studies at Wawasan Open University, with Community Empowerment Initiative Sabah as the Local Organising Partner, WWF-Malaysia, The Habitat Foundation and Invest Sabah Berhad as Knowledge Partners and Daily Express as the Media Partner.
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