SINGAPORE: Bill Gates’ non-profit organisation, the Gates Foundation, will be opening an office in Singapore.
Speaking at the Philanthropy Asia Summit 2025 in Singapore on Monday (May 5), the co-founder of Microsoft said that the office will be established to “access the science to partner with the philanthropic community” and “the research being done” in the country.
The foundation’s presence in Singapore will be established with the support of the Economic Development Board (EDB).
“Singapore’s strategic location and research ecosystem make it a strong platform for advancing healthcare, fintech and (artificial intelligence) innovations that can deliver meaningful impact across the region and the world,” EDB managing director Jermaine Loy said in a statement.
Founded in 2000 by Gates and his then-wife Melinda French Gates, the foundation is a philanthropic organisation that aims to improve global health, access to education and inclusive economic growth.
Establishing a Singapore presence reflects the foundation’s broader commitment to working alongside countries and partners to help more people live healthy and productive lives and accelerate progress toward achieving sustainable development goals, it said in a media release on Monday.
In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who met Mr Gates on Monday, said: “Singapore looks forward to working closely with the Gates Foundation to advance innovation and improve lives – here in Asia and around the world.”
Mr Wong said that he “had a wide-ranging conversation” with Mr Gates “on the challenges ahead, from clean energy to vaccine development”.
Mr Gates also had a meeting with Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday, with Mr Lee sharing that they “exchanged views on many topics, from eradicating polio and measles to developing new technologies for nuclear power”, and discussed how the Gates Foundation can collaborate more with entities in Singapore, like the Temasek Trust and the country’s universities.
“We welcome the Gates Foundation and others to continue to bring their businesses and interests here to Singapore and invest in our ecosystem and deepen our ties with the region,” he said in his own Facebook post.
In response to queries from CNA, the Gates Foundation said that it was “pleased to have received an invitation from the Singapore Economic Development Board to establish an office in Singapore”.
The foundation said that it believes “a Singapore presence will strengthen global health and development partnerships across the Southeast Asian region, enhance cross-border collaboration, and reinforce Singapore’s important role in innovation and philanthropy in the region”.
“This approach is aligned with our broader global strategy and reflects our long-term commitment to partner with governments, philanthropies, and technical partners across Asia to drive progress towards global health and development goals,” it added.
The foundation also said that it is working through the legal and regulatory aspects of establishing a presence in Singapore and will share details on staffing and operational plans once timelines are finalised.
At the summit on Monday, Philanthropy Asia Alliance CEO Shaun Seow spoke about the value of collaboration between Asian and global philanthropists.
“We really want to make sure … that global philanthropists understand what’s happening in Asia,” he said.
“And Asian philanthropists, through interactions with the global philanthropists, will then have a better idea (of) how philanthropy can advance too. So, hoping that the two will actually come together and actually make a real difference to Asia.”
