On November 11-12, SEF comes to World’s Fastest-Aging Region for the first time, gathering global, regional and Malaysian government and business leaders in Kuala Lumpur to pave the path for healthy longevity as fuel for economic growth.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, August 13, 2026 /Press Release/ — The annual Silver Economy Forum will be held in Kuala Lumpur on November 11 & 12 this year, bringing together senior leaders across business, government, and global institutions to focus on advancing healthy longevity as a driver of economic growth. The Forum, organized by the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) in collaboration with the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS) and Forum Partner Venus Healthcare is a high-level, invitation only gathering.

This is the first time that SEF26 will be held in Asia. No region is aging faster, or moving more quickly on solutions, than the Asia-Pacific, and ASEAN nations are making the silver economy a top-tier policy priority. Malaysia’s 60+ population will rise from 11.6 percent of its population in 2024 to 17.3 percent by 2040. This year’s theme, “Healthy Longevity for Economic Growth,” will explore how societies can transform longer lives into lasting economic dividends through strategic investments in care, health, labour, and innovation across the life course.

His Royal Highness Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, Ruler of the State of Perak, will give the opening keynote address, a formal welcome setting out the importance of healthy longevity and the silver economy to Malaysia’s and ASEAN’s future prosperity.

On Day Two, Malaysia’s Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, will give the keynote address on Building Malaysia’s Silver Economy.

“As our demographic transition accelerates, our response must be equally bold. SEF26 is an opportunity to demonstrate that government, business, and civil society can align around a shared vision – one where an older population is a source of national strength, not strain. We are committed to making Malaysia a model for healthy ageing across ASEAN and beyond,” said YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development.

Business is already part of that alignment. Forum Partner Venus Healthcare Homes is bringing its integrated care-village model, combining housing, clinical support and community life on one site, to Malaysia.

“A country does not capture the economic dividend of longer lives by looking after those who can already afford good care. It captures it when the poorest older people stay healthy, stay in their communities and stay out of hospital,” said Sri Nadarajah, Founder and Chairman of the Venus Group. “At Silver Economy Forum, Venus looks forward to sharing our story and connecting with like-minded leaders across the region and globally about how we can better design for the longer lives we hope to live.”

Also participating in SEF26 are Malaysian Ministers’: YB Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly bin Ahmad, Minister of Health, YB Datuk Seri Fadhlina Binti Sidek, Minister of Education, YB Puan Hannah Yeoh, Minister of Federal Territories in the PM’s Dept, and YB Dato’ Sri Azalina Othman Said, Minister of Law & Institutional Reform, PM’s Dept. Representatives from Malaysia’s Ministry of Health will also be in attendance.

Other high-level speakers include Teiji Hayashi, Ambassador for Global Health and Executive Director for Healthcare Policy in the National Healthcare Policy Secretariat of the Cabinet Office, Japan; Frederico Guanais, Deputy Head, Health Division, OECD; Simon Rosof, Region Head, Asia Pacific, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division; Takuko Sawada, Director and Vice Chairperson of the Board, Shionogi; Minoru Sasaki, Director at Nippon Life Global Investors Americas; and Graham Cookson, CEO, Office of Health Economics.

“The ageing of global society represents an opportunity for all of us. We need to recognize that placing healthy longevity at the center of business and government planning can unlock health, workplace/workforce, and innovation reforms. Those reforms benefit national economies,” said Michael Hodin, CEO and Founder of the Global Coalition on Aging.

The program will explore how the silver economy is built and financed. Sessions will look at innovative care villages built for the life course and not just older age, new models in preventive health and how we tackle both infectious and chronic disease, strategies for investing in healthier populations, and how longevity risk changes as the region ages. Other sessions will cover the fiscal case for healthy aging and value of healthy, older workforces, the future of geroscience, the stories changing the narrative of healthy aging, and more.

“Silver Economy Forum 2026 puts practical questions on the table: how care is delivered, how preventive health is valued and financed, how silver economy markets are built, and how workplaces adapt to longer working lives. Healthy longevity belongs at the center of that plan,” Hodin added.

“The Silver Economy Forum presents an important opportunity for government and business leaders to exchange ideas, build strategic networks and explore meaningful collaborations. Addressing the needs of an ageing population requires fresh thinking, innovation and investment across multiple sectors. We hope this forum will inspire new partnerships and practical solutions that support healthy ageing, improve quality of life and unlock the economic potential of longer lives,” said Professor Nathan Vytialingam, President of the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS).

Each year, SEF convenes an intimate group of 200–250 leaders. Participation in Silver Economy Forum is by invitation only. View the full agenda here.

FOR MEDIA INFORMATION CONTACT:
Darren Atkinson
[email protected]

About GCOA: GCOA aims to reshape how global leaders approach and prepare for the 21st century’s profound shift in population aging. Through research, public policy analysis, advocacy, and strategic communications, GCOA is advancing innovative solutions and working to ensure global aging is a path for fiscally sustainable economic growth, social value creation and wealth enhancement.

ABOUT MHAS: The Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to educating physicians, scientists and members of the public on healthy ageing issues. Its primary objective is to create public awareness for enhancement of the quality of life. Its mission is to promote an integrative approach towards ageing and to foster and co-ordinate education, study, and research on ageing in Malaysia.