Canada ASEAN Business Council

What Canada ASEAN Business Council does

The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) is a private, non-profit business council founded in 2012 at the request of Canada's Minister of International Trade through Global Affairs Canada. Headquartered in Singapore, with representative offices in Montreal, Toronto, and Calgary, it operates under a region-wide mandate covering all 10 ASEAN member states to advance trade and investment between Canada and ASEAN. In January 2024 it received unprecedented ASEAN accreditation under Annex II of the ASEAN Charter, becoming Canada's only entity officially associated with ASEAN and one of only three ASEAN-accredited joint business organizations globally. It represents 70+ Canadian businesses and organizations, with a Patron tier dominated by major Canadian banks (National Bank of Canada as Founding Patron, plus RBC, TD, BMO, Scotiabank), insurers (Manulife, Sun Life), and EDC, alongside sub-national economic development agencies and educational institutions.

CABC's offerings are organized as a platform-plus-modules portfolio built on a core membership program: the annual Canada-ASEAN Business & Investment Forum (flagship, ~300 leaders in 2023, Kuala Lumpur 2025), the Business Leaders Series, the Nuclear Energy Working Group, the Canada-ASEAN Agriculture Event Series, and a publication library including the Canada-ASEAN Business Outlook Survey, sector reports, and the ASEAN for Business Bulletin. There is no proprietary technology stack; capabilities center on policy advocacy, member convening, and curated programming across digital, energy, agri-food, and trade topics, distributed through a four-office direct-engagement model, formal MoUs with ASEAN-side counterpart bodies (Indonesian Business Council, ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets, ASEAN-BAC, KADIN), and a multi-channel content program (LinkedIn, X @CAN_ASEAN, newsletters, podcast, press releases). Revenue is generated through tiered membership dues, event sponsorship from financial institutions and government partners, and government/institutional funding channeled via Global Affairs Canada and the ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action Trust Fund; specific financial figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Canada ASEAN Business Council

Legal name

Canada-ASEAN Business Council

Website

https://canasean.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) is a Singapore-headquartered, ASEAN-accredited non-profit that advances trade and investment between Canada and all 10 ASEAN member states on behalf of 70+ Canadian corporates, financial institutions, and sub-national agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Business Associations (81391)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Meeting & Conference Planning (Internal/External) (THAHACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Trade association services
• Business council services
• Bilateral trade promotion
• Investment facilitation services
• Policy advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Tiered membership model with Founding Patron Member (National Bank of Canada) and Patron Members (e.g., EDC, Manulife, RBC, Sun Life, TD), plus corporate members. The Council represents the interests of over 70 leading businesses and organizations.
2. Event Sponsorship: Sponsorship from financial institutions and government partners for the flagship Canada-ASEAN Business & Investment Forum and other programs (sponsors include Bank of Montreal, EDC, Manulife, National Bank of Canada, Scotiabank, Sun Life, Government of Saskatchewan, Exeo Attorneys, Invest Alberta Corporation, Invest Nova Scotia, TD Securities).
3. Government and Institutional Funding: Funding and in-kind support from Global Affairs Canada, including contributions tied to the Canadian Trade Gateway in Southeast Asia and the ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action Trust Fund, channeled through the Council's mandate to advance trade relations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) is a not-for-profit business council that represents the interests of over 70 leading Canadian businesses and organizations to advance trade relations and investment between Canada and ASEAN economies. It offers a tiered membership program, hosts flagship convening events such as the annual Canada-ASEAN Business & Investment Forum, runs sector-specific working groups (e.g., Nuclear Energy Working Group), and publishes research reports, bulletins, podcasts, and newsletters that translate bilateral trade policy momentum into commercial outcomes for members.

Product overview

The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) is not a single software product but a business council founded in 2012 to advance trade relations between Canada and ASEAN. Its offering is organized around a portfolio of member-facing programs and knowledge products: a core Membership Program representing 70+ leading Canadian businesses and organizations in ASEAN; the annual Canada-ASEAN Business Forum and the Canada-ASEAN Business & Investment Forum as flagship convening events; the Business Leaders Series and the Canada-ASEAN Agriculture Event Series as recurring topical series; the Nuclear Energy Working Group (NEWG) as a dedicated initiative; recurring knowledge products including the ASEAN for Business Bulletin, the annual Canada-ASEAN Business Outlook Survey Report, and research reports and studies (e.g., Cultivating Connections on agri-food trade); and supporting media channels including the CABC Podcast, the CABC Newsletter Subscription, and CABC Press Releases. Together these programs, events, publications, and working groups form a platform-plus-modules architecture where the membership program is the foundation and the forums, bulletins, working groups, podcasts, and newsletters are the modules delivered to members, partners, and the broader public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CABC Membership Program A tiered membership program (Founding Patron, Patron, and Corporate tiers) representing the voice of the Canadian private sector in ASEAN, providing policy advocacy, networking, research access, and curated dialogue with ASEAN governments and counterpart councils.
• Canada-ASEAN Business Forum

Quantifiable outcome

• ASEAN-Canada two-way merchandise trade reached USD 23.5 billion (CAD 31.7 billion) in 2024.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered event partnership (asia edition), flagship / strategic-tier partnership, sub-national strategic partner, strategic-tier partnership, institutional counterpart, strategic-tier institutional partner, government / founding-back institutional partner and asean-side institutional partner.

• The Business Show Asiaevent partnership (asia edition)GTM or Marketing Partner · 26 August 2026Partner event co-marketed to CABC members and networks; the Business Show Asia 2026 takes place Aug 26-27, 2026 at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore, drawing 8,000+ attendees, 250 exhibitors, and 150 expert speakers. Free tickets distributed via CABC tracking link.
• Indonesian Business Council (IBC)flagship / strategic-tier partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026MoU signed in Jakarta on June 22, 2026 to strengthen business cooperation between Indonesia and Canada. Covers commerce, trade and investment promotion, information exchange, business missions, trade fairs, conferences, and business leader visits. Priority areas include the Indonesia-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (ICA-CEPA), critical minerals, clean energy, food security, and the EV ecosystem. Signed by IBC CEO Sofyan Djalil and CABC Managing Director Anthony Cheng in the presence of senior Canadian government officials.
• Government of Saskatchewansub-national strategic partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2025Partner on Canada-ASEAN nuclear energy and clean energy working group activities, including the Saskatchewan-Philippines Department of Energy MOU (June 5, 2025) covering SMR feasibility, smart grid, energy storage, workforce exchange, and inclusive energy policy. Saskatchewan Polytechnic collaboration on Nuclear Engineering and Safety Management curricula and train-the-trainer programs.
• ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM)strategic-tier partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2024MoU signed April 18, 2024 during the Canada & ASEAN: Building Stronger Bridges for Mutual Growth event co-hosted by CABC and the ASEAN Secretariat at the ASEAN Hall in Jakarta. Focus areas: supply & generation, market intermediation, demand & assurance, event collaboration, and advocacy and thought leadership. Supports deployment of voluntary and compliance carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
• ASEAN Secretariatinstitutional counterpartStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2024Co-host of the Canada & ASEAN: Building Stronger Bridges for Mutual Growth event at the ASEAN Hall in Jakarta (April 18, 2024), attended by ASEAN Secretary-General H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Canadian Ambassador to ASEAN H.E. Vicky Singmin, and ASEAN Member State representatives. Ongoing engagement on policy advocacy and program co-creation.
• ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC)strategic-tier institutional partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2023Co-hosted the ASEAN-Canada Trade Roundtable at the Sultan Hotel in Jakarta on September 5, 2023, themed 'Strengthening ASEAN-Canada Opportunities for Sustainable Development.' Brought together ASEAN Secretary-General H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Indonesia's Minister for Energy & Mineral Resources, Canada's Deputy Minister of International Trade, KADIN leadership, and the CABC President.
• Global Affairs Canadagovernment / founding-back institutional partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2023Co-host and primary government partner for the Canada-ASEAN Business & Investment Forum (Feb 24-25, 2023, Jakarta). Underwrote Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy commitments including CAD 24.1M for the Canadian Trade Gateway in Southeast Asia and CAD 13.1M for the ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action Trust Fund. CABC was founded at the request of Canada's Minister of International Trade through Global Affairs Canada.
• Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN)asean-side institutional partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2023Co-host and lead ASEAN partner for the 5th Canada-ASEAN Business & Investment Forum in Jakarta, chaired by Arsjad Rasjid (Chair of ASEAN-BAC 2023 and Chairman of KADIN). KADIN advocates for the Indonesia-Canada CEPA and ASEAN Centrality under Indonesia's 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Canada-China Business Council: Canadian bilateral business council focused on China; directly comparable in mandate, government backing, and membership model, and frequently referenced alongside CABC in Canadian Indo-Pacific trade discussions.
• Indonesian Business Council (IBC): Direct counterpart organization signed MoU with CABC in June 2026 to operationalize Indonesia-Canada business cooperation; runs parallel bilateral trade and investment programming on the Indonesian side.
• EU-ASEAN Business Council: The European counterpart to CABC; the third ASEAN-accredited joint business organization, directly comparable in mandate, governance, and convening model.
• US-ASEAN Business Council: The US counterpart to CABC; one of only three ASEAN-accredited joint business organizations alongside CABC under Annex II of the ASEAN Charter, performing the same bilateral business council, advocacy, and forum convening role for US corporates.
• Canada-India Business Council: Canadian bilateral business council promoting trade with India; same non-profit, membership-driven, forum-convening model as CABC and serves as a structural comparator for CABC's operating economics.

Broad incumbents

• ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC): The official ASEAN-wide private-sector advisory body chaired by the host-country business leader each year; CABC is a co-host and strategic partner, making ASEAN-BAC the institutional umbrella above CABC's bilateral mandate.
• Business Council of Canada: Peak Canadian private-sector CEO body; CABC co-chairs (Louis Vachon, Jan De Silva) overlap with this body, and it represents the broader domestic institutional context from which CABC's patron members are drawn.

Emerging players

• Asia Business Council: Asia-wide (rather than ASEAN-specific) CEO-level business council convened by business leaders; comparable in its small-team, high-level convening model but with a region-wide rather than bilateral scope.

Regional players

• Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN): Indonesia's peak private-sector chamber; co-hosts CABC's flagship Business & Investment Forum and partners on the Indonesia-Canada CEPA, giving it a directly comparable bilateral convening role on the ASEAN side.
• Canada-Korea Business Council: Smaller Canadian bilateral business council structure oriented toward Korea; shares CABC's non-profit, member-supported model and provides a regional comparator for Asian bilateral trade promotion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/can_asean
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canada-asean-business-council

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Canada ASEAN Business Council