Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent named a Wall Street and military veteran to advise on plans for a sovereign wealth fund, taking a further step toward fulfilling President Donald Trump’s idea for the US to join the ranks of nations with such assets.

Washington may not have a sovereign wealth fund, but almost half the U.S. states do. Indeed, the earliest precursor of a national sovereign wealth fund was established in the United States: in 1803, Ohio created a land trust to finance public education in the state.

A sovereign wealth fund often serves as a vehicle to invest a government’s budget surplus. The U.S. doesn’t have that luxury.

Danantara Indonesia will invest $20 billion in a wide range of projects from metal processing to artificial intelligence, President Prabowo Subianto said.

At the launch of the Danantara fund on Feb 24, Indonesian officials also sought to address some concerns on transparency and financial audit raised by observers, including some interviewed by CNA earlier.

Egypt aims to move state-owned enterprises to be managed by the country's sovereign wealth fund, to maximise the return on state assets, Investment Minister Hassan El Khatib said on Wednesday. Egypt has been divesting state assets under a programme to boost the role of the private sector,

Danantara, the nation's newly established sovereign wealth fund, may end up stifling growth instead of fuelling it, analysts warn.

The fund will invest US$20 billion (S$27 billion) in 20 projects to drive development in the nation. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Indonesia on Monday launched a new sovereign wealth fund that will aim to manage state assets worth more than $900 billion as President Prabowo Subianto looks to turbo-charge growth in