Insights

Research & Market Analysis

Macro-level perspectives on Southeast Asian markets, sector dynamics, and investment themes drawn from our on-the-ground experience.

TechnologyFebruary 2026

AI's Triple Squeeze: Compute, Power, and the Workforce Reset

Analysis of correlations between AI compute investment, power demand growth, orbital compute timelines, and workforce reductions. Examines implications for portfolio positioning across power infrastructure, semiconductors, and labor-intensive sectors.

TechnologyFebruary 2026

Southeast Asia Mid-Market AI Services: Platform Disintermediation and Quality-at-Scale Risks

Analysis of mid-market AI services opportunities targeting Southeast Asia's 67 million unserved SMEs. Examines platform disintermediation risk from hyperscalers building direct consulting arms and quality-at-scale execution challenges at accessible price points.

EducationFebruary 2026

Malaysia AI Education: Why Johor is the Opportunity of the Decade

Analysis of AI education services opportunities targeting Johor's international school market. Examines JS-SEZ infrastructure, Singapore family spillover, and investability breakers including platform disintermediation and teacher adoption risks.

InfrastructureFebruary 2026

Malaysia Data Center Boom: Infrastructure Opportunity

Analysis of Malaysia's USD 14.7B data center pipeline and selective accumulation opportunities in infrastructure enablers (power generation, water treatment). Examines power grid constraints, water supply limits, and investability breakers including hyperscaler concentration risk.

EducationFebruary 2026

Malaysia Private Education: The Middle-Class Gold Rush

Analysis of Malaysia's RM12.27B private education sector with selective allocation to STEM/coding enrichment franchises. Examines franchise economics, Korean hagwon precedent, and investability breakers including margin compression and teacher shortage risks.

Digital EconomyFebruary 2026

Ramadan/Raya Seasonality: The Forecast Adjustment You Shouldn't Make

Analysis of divergent Ramadan 2026 patterns with selective accumulation in Malaysia-dominant consumer retail. Examines Malaysia/Indonesia bifurcation, omnichannel advantage, and investability breakers including Malaysia pattern collapse and platform cannibalization risks.

TechnologyJanuary 2026

AI Chip Wars: The $500B Race to Power Intelligence

Educational investigation of AI chip makers exploring how semiconductor companies capture value in the AI infrastructure boom. Examines margin structures across design, fabrication, and packaging, with focus on NVIDIA's dominance and geographic concentration risks in Taiwan.

ManufacturingJanuary 2026

Malaysia Semiconductors: The 50-Year Breakout That Might Finally Happen

Industry investigation examining Malaysia's semiconductor sector and its positioning in the global chip value chain. Analyzes backend services dominance, engineer retention challenges, and the structural forces that keep margins concentrated in design and fabrication.

EducationJanuary 2026

Online Tutoring in SEA: Survivors, Casualties & Lessons

Educational analysis of online tutoring business models across Southeast Asia, examining why some companies survived while others collapsed. Explores unit economics, regional market differences, and margin accrual patterns in EdTech services.

Digital EconomyJanuary 2026

Payments: Three Regional Playbooks

Comparative investigation of payment company business models across SEA, North America, and Europe. Examines how regional differences in banking infrastructure, regulatory environments, and merchant needs drive divergent strategies and margin structures.

EducationJanuary 2026

Retail Education Unicorns: The China Exception

Industry investigation exploring whether billion-dollar retail education businesses can exist outside China or without franchising. Analyzes TAL Education, BYJU'S, and Kumon models, examining why margins accrue differently across geographies and regulatory environments.

Digital EconomyJanuary 2026

Ride-Hailing: The Super-App Playbook

Educational analysis of ride-hailing business models in Southeast Asia compared to the US. Examines how Grab's super-app ecosystem generates margins through financial services cross-sell rather than pure ride commissions, and the structural differences that enable this approach.

ManufacturingJanuary 2026

Cattle Ranching: Where the Real Money Lives on the Range

Industry investigation examining the beef value chain from Wyoming ranches to consumer plates. Explores why processor oligopolies capture 8-12% margins while fragmented ranchers earn 0-5%, and how multi-generational ranches build wealth through land appreciation rather than cattle sales.