Asia-Pacific

The first driver is demographic: the region now has more collectors under 45 than Europe and North America combined. The second is institutional: more than 140 private museums have opened in ten years, buying and borrowing works from all over the world.

The third is digital. The region is the most advanced for online sales and mobile payments, which widens access to the market for buyers located outside the big cities.

The States of the region do not all have the same level of regulation. Some have old and detailed frameworks; others are gradually adopting rules on licences, taxation and traceability. Membership of OIMAP helps harmonise practices.

For foreign buyers, the main issue is circulation: customs declaration, import duties and the authenticity of works are the three subjects on which the Desk receives the most requests from the region.

The profile of Asia-Pacific collectors is more varied than one might think. There are families of industrialists building heritage collections, digital entrepreneurs interested in contemporary art, and public institutions reassembling dispersed groups.

Many of them buy abroad, which increases the need for documents recognised from one country to another. The region's Member States are, moreover, among the most active in adopting the digital certificate.