Asia outgrowing other regions, but structurally slower than pre-pandemic: Visa economist

Visa principal economist Asia Pacific Simon Baptist, speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Asia, stated (30-Oct-2025) economic growth in Asia "is faster than anywhere else", but is "much slower than it was before the pandemic, in a structural sense". Dr Baptist highlighted the key headwinds for growth as the slowdown in China, higher interest rates and disruptions to global supply chains. He reported a "significant slowdown" in advanced economies, commenting: "Business confidence is down". He also noted a "pretty consistent downturn" among middle classes in emerging markets, while affluent consumers are driving growth.