In the rapidly evolving financial landscape of recent years, achieving financial health, sustainable finance, and advancing digital financial services to foster an inclusive, resilient, and stable financial system became critical priorities for the Asia–Pacific region. Financial health was foundational to building an inclusive economy. At the same time, sustainable financial systems were increasingly recognized as critical drivers for achieving long-term economic growth that aligned with global climate goals and the urgent need to mobilize sustainable finance, especially from the private sector. As new financial technologies (fintech), digital currencies, and decentralized financial systems emerged, there was an urgent need to ensure that these innovations drove market competition and efficiencies and promoted trust and financial stability.

In view of this, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), together with the Ministry of Finance of Luxembourg, with support from the Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE), held the 5th Asia Finance Forum (AFF) with the overall theme “Positioning for the Future” on 23–25 September 2025 at the ADB Headquarters in Manila, Philippines. This conference explored how financial systems across the region could be designed to harness the benefits of innovation and competition while enhancing financial health, promoting sustainable financial systems, catalyzing sustainable finance, fostering trust, protecting consumers, promoting the use of digital technology, and safeguarding financial stability and resilience.

Objectives

The conference aimed to engage a broad range of stakeholders, including policymakers, the private sector, academe, and nongovernment organizations, across ADB’s developing member countries in Asia and the Pacific to explore, learn, and collaborate on shaping the future of financial systems. The event served as a platform to:

1. Explore New Developments: Delved into emerging trends and challenges in financial technology, sustainable finance, and innovative regulatory frameworks that supported sustainable, inclusive, and resilient financial systems.

2. Foster Knowledge Sharing: Facilitated the exchange of insights by showcasing real-world use cases and experiences, allowing participants to learn from each other's strategic approaches to managing finance sector challenges and opportunities, with a focus on integrating technology and sustainability.

3. Build a Future-Ready Financial System: Collaborated on solutions that addressed the pressing need for robust regulation, trust-building measures, and technology-driven innovation in the financial sector. Sustainable finance, responsible innovation, and technological integration were critical cross-cutting themes throughout the conference.

4. Strengthen Cross-Border Collaboration: Encouraged regional cooperation to develop harmonized regulatory frameworks and financial policies that accommodated emerging technologies and innovations while enabling a cohesive financial ecosystem, cross-border integration, investment, sustainable growth, financial stability, and inclusion.

See the Photo Gallery here.