Asia Research & Engagement

What Asia Research & Engagement does

Asia Research & Engagement Pte. Ltd. (ARE) is a Singapore-incorporated sustainability research and engagement firm that operates as an intermediary between institutional investors and Asian-listed companies on environmental, social, and governance challenges. Operational since at least 2014, the company articulates the business case for sustainability through independent research, an investor-backed engagement platform, and direct dialogue with corporate leaders, with declared focus areas in Energy Transition and Protein Transition, and a newer Sustainable Real Estate pillar.

ARE's product surface consists of the Asia Transition Platform - comprising Energy Transition and Protein Transition portals - alongside regularly published independent research reports on sustainable finance, decarbonization, palm oil, factory farming, corporate governance, and food-system transition across Asian markets. The platform is positioned as a coalition mechanism rather than a software product: investors representing USD7 trillion have been onboarded to drive collaborative engagement with Asian-listed companies. The company earned credibility through measurable outcomes, including catalyzing the first deforestation policy by a Chinese consumer company and successfully blocking ammonia co-firing positioning in Japanese coal phase-out frameworks.

ARE generates revenue through professional services: investor-backed engagement programs and commissioned research for institutional investor coalitions such as AIGCC, FAIRR, CLSA, and Credit Suisse. The company serves two primary customer segments - institutional investors seeking curated engagement leverage, and Asian-listed companies seeking credible transition pathways - with a secondary partner segment for technical expertise exchange. The team is small (~9 named professionals) and cross-cultural, with country-specific leadership for China and an expanded leadership role in India. ARE is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds or parent entity, and operates offices in Singapore (HQ and general office) plus a China office.

Name

Asia Research & Engagement

Legal name

Asia Research & Engagement Pte. Ltd.

Website

https://asiareengage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Asia Research & Engagement is a Singapore-based sustainability research and engagement firm that operates investor-backed platforms linking institutional investors with Asian-listed companies to drive Energy Transition, Protein Transition, and Sustainable Real Estate outcomes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Research and Engagement

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK), ESG & Sustainability Research (FSACAGAH)

Keywords

• Sustainability research
• ESG engagement
• Investor engagement
• Climate transition advisory
• Corporate governance research

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Research and Engagement Services: ARE generates revenue through engagement programs that connect investors with companies, producing independent research reports and facilitating dialogue on sustainable development challenges in Asia.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Asia Research & Engagement operates investor-backed engagement platforms that connect leading institutional investors with Asian-listed companies to drive sustainability outcomes. The firm produces independent research on energy transition, protein transition, sustainable finance, and corporate governance, and facilitates direct dialogue between financial decision-makers and corporate leaders across Asian markets.

Product overview

Asia Research & Engagement operates as a research and engagement firm focused on sustainable development in Asia. The company offers a unified engagement platform (Asia Transition Platform) comprising two thematic focus areas: Energy Transition and Protein Transition. These portals facilitate investor-backed dialogue with Asian-listed companies on sustainability challenges. The company also produces independent research reports as knowledge products, addressing topics such as decarbonization, sustainable finance, corporate governance, and protein diversification across Asian markets. The offering is a platform-plus-knowledge architecture rather than a traditional software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asia Transition Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Catalysing first deforestation policy by a Chinese consumer company covering soy, palm oil, and packaging
• +2 more outcomes

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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Listed CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsian-listed companies engaged through investor-backed dialogue to address sustainable development challenges including energy transition, protein transition, and deforestation policies.
• Banks and Financial InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative engagement with banks on decarbonisation targets, financed emissions disclosure, and climate action, including Singapore banks taking regional leadership.
• Regulators and Policy MakersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with regulatory bodies to influence sustainable finance policies and transition frameworks, including successfully blocking ammonia co-firing in coal power phase-out frameworks.
• CLSAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduced reports for CLSA's Blue Book range for top tier investors, including 'Sustainable Path: Who Is Leading Palm-Oil Reform?'
• AIGCCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by AIGCC with support from ANZ for 'Investing for the Climate in Asia' report reviewing 88 financial institutions across Asia-Pacific.
• FAIRRminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by FAIRR for 'Factory Farming in Asia' report helping investors understand sustainability risks in Asian animal protein industries.
• Credit SuisseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConceived the Asia Pacific Land Use Forum (APLUF) to explore collaboration opportunities for scaling land use planning solutions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MSCI ESG Research: Largest global provider of ESG ratings, research, and data for institutional investors. Directly comparable client base and product overlap with ARE's investor-focused ESG research, though MSCI operates at much greater scale and scope.
• ISS ESG: Institutional Shareholder Services' ESG advisory arm, providing corporate governance and sustainability research to investors. Comparable to ARE on the engagement and proxy voting dimensions, with overlap in serving institutional investor clients.
• S&P Global Sustainable1: S&P Global's ESG data, analytics, and research arm serving institutional investors. Comparable to ARE on ESG research delivery to investors, with broader product suite and global scale.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): Global environmental and sustainability consultancy with deep Asia operations. Overlaps with ARE on corporate sustainability advisory and stakeholder engagement, though ERM's scale and breadth far exceed ARE's specialist focus.

Direct peers

• South Pole Group: Global sustainability solutions provider with strong presence in Asia, offering climate consulting, carbon credit development, and ESG advisory. Comparable to ARE's consulting-style sustainability engagement with corporate clients and investors.
• Sustainalytics: Morningstar-owned ESG research and ratings firm serving institutional investors with company-level sustainability analysis. Highly comparable to ARE's research-driven investor advisory model, though Sustainalytics operates globally rather than Asia-specialist.
• Anthesis Group: Sustainability advisory firm with growing Asia footprint, providing ESG strategy and stakeholder engagement services. Comparable professional services model targeting both corporates and investors on sustainability challenges.

Emerging players

• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Global non-profit running investor-backed disclosure and engagement platforms on climate, water, and forests. Comparable to ARE's investor-backed engagement platform model, with significant overlap in Asia-listed company engagement themes.
• Chain Reaction Research: Asia-focused ESG research firm analyzing deforestation, land use, and supply chain risks. Closely comparable to ARE's Asia-specialist research focus, particularly on palm oil and protein transition themes.

Others

• Climate Action 100+: Investor-led initiative coordinating engagement with high-emission companies on climate action. Thematically comparable to ARE's investor-backed engagement model, though Climate Action 100+ is a coordination network rather than a commercial research provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asiareengage

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 Asia Research & Engagement