# Southeast Asian startups face capital barriers

> Southeast Asian startups struggle to attract global investors due to opaque systems and local capital shortages.
- Title: Southeast Asian startups face capital barriers · Nikkei Asia
- Summary: Southeast Asian startups struggle to attract global investors due to opaque systems and local capital shortages. Southeast Asian startups face structural…
- Keywords: southeast asian startups, capital shortage, foreign investment, asean, bureaucracy, indonesia, news, business, world, Southeast, Asian, startups
- Source: Nikkei Asia — https://asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/asean-money/southeast-asian-startups-run-into-structural-roadblocks
- Published: 2026-10-19T21:00:16+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: southeast asian startups, capital shortage, foreign investment, asean, bureaucracy, indonesia, news, business, world
## Southeast Asian startups
Many Southeast Asian startups struggle to attract capital and grow beyond regional markets.
## Key barriers
Lack of openness to foreign entrepreneurs, opaque bureaucracy, and capital shortages cited by founders.
## Recent challenges
High-profile scandals in Indonesia and rising capital costs cooled investor enthusiasm after the pandemic.
## Key takeaway

Southeast Asian startups face structural barriers to attracting foreign capital and scaling globally.