Opening and Attendance
AVPN Global Conference 2026 opened on 26 August 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, marking the first time the event is held in India in its 13‑year history. The three‑day convening brought together close to 2,000 participants, including funders, investors, corporates, policymakers and changemakers from 43 markets across Asia.
Leadership and Speakers
AVPN leadership present included CTO Kevin Teo, CEO Naina Subberwal Batra, Chair Achal Agarwal, CKPO Roshini Prakash and Director of Impact Investing Ramkumar Venkatramani. A special address on “Advancing India’s Health Agenda” was delivered by Honourable Minister of State & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers Anupriya Patel. Other distinguished speakers were Ajay Piramal (Chairman, Piramal Group), Boon Heong Ng (Executive Director & CEO, Temasek Foundation), Budi Gunadi Sadikin (Minister of Health, Republic of Indonesia), Professor Larry Kramer (President & Vice‑chancellor, LSE), Neerja Birla (Founder & Chairperson, Aditya Birla Education Trust), Piyush Gupta (Chairman, Singapore Management University) and Tony Tan (Executive Director, CapitaLand Hope Foundation).
Key Announcements
- Harmony in Diversity Fund: The conference introduced the first cohort of community‑based organisations that will receive capital to strengthen intercultural harmony across Southeast Asia.
- Maharashtra Climate Investment Programme: The Government of Maharashtra and AVPN unveiled a USD 1 billion climate investment pipeline covering clean transport, industrial decarbonisation, renewable energy and climate‑smart agriculture. The programme moved from pipeline to deployment with the first freight‑electrification transaction on the JNPA corridor and plans for a catalytic fund to unlock private capital at scale.
- Nexa Lighthouse: A new regional platform designed to connect capital, knowledge and partnerships to address climate‑related health risks in Asia.
- Regional TB Elimination Initiative: A panel featuring AVPN CEO Naina Subberwal Batra, Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India), Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman and Temasek Foundation’s Boon Heong Ng discussed the political commitment required to eradicate tuberculosis in Asia.
Conference Themes and Schedule
The three‑day agenda covered blended finance, health impact, gender equality, economic inclusion and climate action, with cross‑cutting levers such as artificial intelligence, policy, impact investing and faith‑based giving. The event will conclude with an Impact Investing Day that will bring together investors, fund managers, limited partners, general partners, philanthropists and ecosystem leaders to align grants, debt and equity capital toward scaling solutions.
Strategic Significance
AVPN highlighted that Asia faces a USD 26 trillion financing need through 2030 and a USD 1.5 trillion annual SDG financing gap. The conference’s theme “A Blueprint for Action in Asia” underscores the shift from fragmented efforts to coordinated action, positioning AVPN as the connective tissue that enables capital to amplify impact across the region.