Southeast Asia: The Economic Outlook for 2026

Southeast Asia: The Economic Outlook for 2026

From Beyond the Mekong by The Diplomat

February 3, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

Marcus Tantau discusses the economic outlook for Southeast Asia in 2026 and the political landscape of the region.

Marcus Tantau is a Senior Associate at Templeton Research, where he leads the firm’s Southeast Asia practice from Singapore. He specializes in corporate investigations and strategic intelligence and advises financial institutions on how to navigate complex risks. He spoke with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt on a broad range of topics, including the election of To Lam as Vietnam’s president and Communist Party chief, and how regional leaders are faring, among them Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim, Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto. and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines.

People in this episode

Host: Luke Hunt

Guest: Marcus Tantau

Topics covered

  • Southeast Asia
  • economic outlook
  • political leadership
  • elections
  • regional analysis

Keywords

  • Southeast Asia
  • economic outlook
  • To Lam
  • Anwar Ibrahim
  • Prabowo Subianto
  • Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
  • politics
  • elections

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Templeton Research

Places: Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore

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