Pacific Basin Economic Council

What Pacific Basin Economic Council does

The Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC) is an independent, apolitical, non-profit, membership-based advocacy organization founded in 1967 in California, USA, and headquartered since 2003 at The Hong Kong Club Building in Central, Hong Kong. Operating as a bridge between government and business, PBEC promotes Asia Pacific economic integration, advocates for open trade and the free flow of goods and services, and serves as a multilateral platform for senior business leaders and corporate members with interests in the region. It positions itself as the oldest independent apolitical advocacy group in Asia Pacific and engages directly with APEC, ABAC, PECC, ASEAN, the Asian Development Bank, and the OECD.

PBEC's product surface is research- and convening-led rather than technology-led. It publishes an annual PBEC Trade Report, a recurring Scope 3 Emissions Report co-developed with KPMG and the Hinrich Foundation, a quarterly Regional Outlook Brief, and a content series called The Value Prop (podcast/video). It hosts and co-organizes 32 events and meetings annually — including executive luncheons with government officials, roundtables, an Annual General Meeting, and co-hosted summits with ICAEW, GS1 HK, Horasis, and HKTDC.

The business model is membership-based and recurring. Membership is by invitation only and consists of senior business leaders and corporate entities across the APEC's 21 member economies. Revenue is generated through membership dues and event-related partnerships; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct, via invitation and existing-member referral, with cross-promotion through strategic partners (KPMG, ICAEW, GS1 HK, Horasis, KSI, and others). The organization employs 51-100 staff and is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Andrew Weir MBE (former KPMG China senior partner), with Michael Walsh as CEO and Sam Chau as Deputy Executive Director.

Name

Pacific Basin Economic Council

Legal name

Pacific Basin Economic Council Limited

Website

https://pbec.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Pacific Basin Economic Council is an independent, apolitical, Hong Kong-based membership think tank founded in 1967 that advocates for Asia Pacific economic integration and convenes senior business leaders and corporate members across APEC's 21 economies through research, events, and policy engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Regional economic integration
• Trade policy advocacy
• Business networking events
• Membership organization
• Research publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Admiralty

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues and subscriptions: PBEC operates as a members-based institution by invitation only. Revenue is generated through membership fees from senior business leaders and corporate members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PBEC operates as a by-invitation, membership-based think tank and advocacy organization for senior business leaders and corporate members with interests in the Asia-Pacific region. It delivers value through networking events, research publications (trade reports, emissions reports, regional outlook briefs), and policy advocacy that connects business with APEC, ABAC, and other regional economic forums.

Product overview

Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC) operates as a membership-based multilateral platform providing research publications, networking events, and policy advocacy for business leaders in Asia Pacific. The organization offers a portfolio of trade reports (including annual PBEC Trade Report and Scope 3 emissions reports), The Value Prop content series, and hosts member events and roundtables. These services are provided as independent offerings under the PBEC umbrella brand rather than an integrated software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PBEC Trade Report
• Scope 3 Emissions Report
• Regional Outlook Brief
• Member Events and Roundtables

Quantifiable outcome

• 32 events and meetings hosted/co-organized in 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• QBEminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024PBEC member QBE announced strategic partnership with Eos Rhea Metis (ERM) to bolster risk engineering capabilities in Greater China, leveraging ERM's network across Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.
• Space Suppliers SummitminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022PBEC announced as institutional partner for Space Suppliers Summit 2022 held in Glasgow, Scotland following COP26, expanding PBEC's reach into emerging sectors like space sustainability.
• APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial engagement with APEC forum; PBEC participates in APEC CEO Summit, APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) dialogues, and coordinates member events alongside APEC Leaders Week and Annual Summits. PBEC has organized simultaneous member events on both sides of the Pacific to mark APEC USA.
• ABAC (APEC Business Advisory Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPBEC maintains direct engagement with ABAC representatives from APEC's 21 member economies, hosting round-table briefings on ABAC meeting outcomes and facilitating business input into APEC policy recommendations.
• KPMGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey supporting partner providing venue hosting (8/F Princes Building, Central HK) for PBEC roundtable dialogues and collaborative research including the Scope 3 emissions report 'Unlocking the Scope 3 Opportunity'. KPMG China partners with PBEC on supply chain and trade seminars.
• ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate member and strategic partner; co-hosts executive luncheons with PBEC featuring government officials including Mr Joseph H.L. Chan JP, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury. Supports PBEC events including Annual Gala Dinner.
• GS1 HKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial supporting organization for GS1 Asia Pacific Regional Forum 2024 and GS1 Hong Kong Annual Summit. PBEC Board members including Anson Bailey and Anna Lin participate in GS1 HK events.
• HorasiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for Horasis Asia Meeting; PBEC co-organizes and supports annual Horasis forums in Binh Duong, Vietnam. Multiple PBEC directors speak and moderate dialogues at Horasis events.
• KSI Strategic Institute for Asia PacificcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner hosting Global Chinese Economic & Technology Summit. PBEC CEO Michael Walsh attended and spoke at 2023 summit in Hong Kong. Vincent Lo former PBEC BoD was keynote speaker.
• PECC (Pacific Economic Cooperation Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner organization; PBEC shares State of the Region Report updates from PECC. Collaborative relationship on Asia Pacific economic research and policy.
• Asian Development BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as PBEC Partner organization, indicating collaborative engagement on development economics and regional economic matters.
• OECDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as PBEC Partner organization for economic cooperation and policy dialogue.
• ASEANminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as PBEC Partner organization for regional economic integration in Southeast Asia.
• Hinrich FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partner; supports PBEC's scope 3 carbon emissions reporting initiative and related research publications.
• ICC (International Chamber of Commerce)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPBEC shared information about ICC Global Finance Forum 2022 and collaborated on trade finance discussions.
• ISIS MalaysiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner for ISIS Malaysia's 35th Asia Pacific Roundtable Dialogue, a signature conference of leading policy institutes.
• Hong Kong Trade Development CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Belt and Road Summit events; HKTDC organizes major summits that PBEC supports and promotes to members.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Asia Society Policy Institute: Policy arm of Asia Society producing research and convening on APAC economic and geopolitical issues. Comparable in think-tank positioning and APAC policy advocacy, with broader geographic remit.
• National Center for APEC: US-based nonprofit supporting APEC engagement and small/medium business participation. Comparable in APEC-centric mission and nonprofit policy-research delivery, with a US-perspective lens versus PBEC's HK anchor.

Direct peers

• Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC): Direct peer and named PBEC partner; PECC is a regional policy research network covering APEC economies that issues the State of the Region Report. Highly comparable in mission, APAC focus, and policy-research output.
• Asia Business Council: Membership-based council of APAC chief executives focused on regional economic integration. Closely comparable to PBEC in target member profile (senior business leaders) and APAC economic-policy remit.
• Hinrich Foundation: Named PBEC affiliate partner and co-publisher of the Scope 3 Emissions Report. Comparable in APAC trade-policy research, sustainable-trade focus, and nonprofit think-tank operating model.

Broad incumbents

• ASEAN Business Advisory Council: Official private-sector advisory body to ASEAN Leaders. Comparable in being a regional business council feeding policy advice to a multilateral forum, though its geographic remit is ASEAN rather than the full Pacific.
• APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC): Official business advisory body to APEC Leaders covering all 21 APEC economies. Comparable in APEC engagement and policy-advocacy mission, though it operates as a formal governmental advisory council rather than a private nonprofit.
• ERIA (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia): International policy research institute supporting ASEAN+3 economic integration. Comparable in producing regional economic research and convening policymakers, with stronger institutional/governmental funding.

Regional players

• Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce: Hong Kong-based business chamber representing cross-sector corporate members. Comparable in membership-based business advocacy model and HK base, though focused on HK rather than the broader APAC region.
• American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham HK): Hong Kong business chamber with a large corporate-member base and policy advocacy remit. Comparable in HK-based membership advocacy, though narrower in geographic scope than PBEC's APAC mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacific-basin-economic-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Pacific Basin Economic Council