Scottish Government ministers, those re-elected and newbies, about to launch a new style high-growth unit to hopefully boost the country’s economy are being urged to embrace a novel two-way business ventures and investments approach based on Asia.

The new unit is sorely needed. A sobering statistic in the run-up to the recent elections revealed that during the last almost two decades GDP per Scots’ head grew annually at no more than 0.6 percent.

This compares with a pre-2008 global financial meltdown figure sitting at around 2 per cent per annum and the devolved government is expected to fully flesh out the fine details of the unit in the coming weeks.

Scotland faces an interesting period ahead. The independence minded SNP-led administration has been returned to power for the fifth time albeit not quite enough to avoid having to form a minority government at Holyrood. Intense cross-collaboration negotiations are currently underway with every party. Except Reform.

Asian Public & Private Sector Opportunities

The country’s political mandarins could do worse than a take a close note of an exclusive insight from Malaysian-born City grandee and prolific dealmaker Martin Gilbert, who having been sent as a youngster to board at Robert Gordon College, Aberdeen, never left Scotland.

Martin Gilbert with Rory McIIroy

Considering himself a Scot through-and-through Gilbert may have turned 70 but he gives no indication of easing up from a heavy workload that would bring an executive tear to someone half his age.

Gilbert identifies rich two-way opportunities in Asia, suitable for adapting to meet both private and public sector needs, and this year finds him with a twin-targeted focus on Asian markets.

Especially India with the sub-continent, he believes, offering up largely untapped consumer demand and credit expansion together with real estate openings.

His latest gameplan is based on over four decades of financial dealing in that part of the world.

Let's just say, asset managers based in Mumbai and further eastwards might wish to take careful note and be ready for a beauty parade.

Gilbert is Chair at Revolut, described as Europe's fastest growing fintech with a private valuation of around £55 billion ($74.5bn), following a secondary share sale late last year.

Making it one of the world's most valuable private firms, surpassing major banks like Barclays.

Gilbert is also Chair at River Global Investors, with a market capitalisation of £6.86 million ($9m) for A shares (RVRG) and £57.06m ($77bn) for B shares (RVRB).

There he has been joined, from his Abrdn days, by Donald Amstad, who recently joined River Global as Chief Client Officer. Amstad has spent over half his 40 year career living and working in Asia.

Significant New Business Up for Grabs

They told me they see significant new business from Asian markets in general and India in particular, following the sub-continent’s relative under-performance in 2025.

River Global's India Capital Growth Fund aims to generate long-term returns by focusing on listed mid and small-cap stocks.

Revolut is launching a new single-app platform for India, centred on integrated unified payments (UPI), with prepaid wallet and domestic and international prepaid Visa cards, offering rewards and family accounts.

His team is eyeing up to 20 million customers in India by 2030, to add to the global fintech's 65 million customers globally today.

Gilbert’s financial career journey has truly come full circle.

In the early 1980s his early appreciation of the opportunities in Asia, as co-founder and long-time CEO of Aberdeen Asset Management, saw his very-first acquisition being an Indian asset manager.

AAM's subsequent growth was built on investing money in Asia and Emerging Markets that had been sourced from investors in America and Europe.

Operations expanded beyond Aberdeen to nearby financial hub Edinburgh, then on to London and Singapore evolving into a network of some 40 offices worldwide.

Gilbert is also well known for his central role in the transformation of Standard Life, with its long-standing perhaps rather stuffy mutual attitudes.

Becoming Abrdn, it was a branding exercise criticised by some since renamed Aberdeen Group and in March last rebranded back to Standard Life, rising from the ashes of subsidiary Phoenix plc.

Gilbert freely admits his leadership style can involve being "hard and driven" but continues to enjoy working with people who show "amazing" loyalty.

He reflects how, during the highs-and-lows of AAM, for example, not a single client, or key employee come to that, walked away.

“I don’t know where the years have gone, but the good thing is I still think I'm 30..and still enjoy the thrill of business," he says.

As of May 2026 abrdn plc, formerly Aberdeen Asset Management, has a market cap of around £4 billion ($5.4bn).

Gilbert also finds time to be an independent Non-Executive Director at Glencore. Helping steer one of the world's largest mining operations to increase a current market capitalisation of around £68.74 billion ($93bn).

Asia Scotland Interns

At the other end of the age scale an “Asian Scotland Interns” venture is about to be launched.

The Asia Scotland Institute is behind the initiative and Founder and Chairman Roddy Gow claims it will come to the aid of businesses under growing pressure to do more with less.

The non-profit believes that crucially an organisation can access global talent "without growing headcount."

Gow, former Oxford Said Business School advisory council member, says: “It’s recognised skills shortages, rising employment costs and the challenge of finding reliable support are making it harder for SMBs to grow, stay agile and focus on what matters most.

“They need more staff resources but this can be the biggest drain on a growing business and hiring permanent staff in the current economic climate is a risk."

ASI highlights the global business model implemented by Apple as a way ahead in a modern setting. Building on the market leader identifying early commercial strengths centred on tapping Asian talent.

“Apple faced the same issues decades ago and found the solution and now so can Scottish businesses."

To this end the interns initiative is designed to connect local organisations with vetted young talent to support their administration, digital marketing, IT, customer service and recruitment needs.

This will centre on accessing talented English-speaking international students through structured remote internships.

Can Scotland pull it off economically in the weeks and months to come?

From her Burlingame, Cal, base "Honorary Scot" Deborah Magid, former IBM Venture Capital Group Director and renowned global “talent scout”, says start-ups in Scotland are every bit as innovative as those in the US.

Magid, Co-Founder and Managing Director of NextStar Venture Partners, who over the years has notched up thousands of air miles as a regular keynote speaker at Scots VC-led conferences, adds: "Ambitions in Scotland are every bit as strong."