Indonesia is one of the region’s best success stories. Despite having faced economic turmoil in the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis under the authoritarian Suharto regime, Indonesia is today one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

In the 21st century, data is a perennial need for the sustenance of our digital industries. The internet would not have become what it is today if not for data. Hence, for our continued development in the field of technology, the need for data will never diminish.

The ASEAN Secretariat held its 3rd ASEAN Media Forum in Bangkok, Thailand, and brought together about 30 media leaders and prominent bloggers from the 10 ASEAN member countries to dialogue with the region’s thought leaders on vital economic issues affecting the Association.

Frustrated by how long it took for that t-shirt or pair of shoes you ordered from Shopee or Lazada to arrive?

ASEAN is set to become the world’s fourth largest economy by 2030, and it is a transition that will be championed by an increasingly tech-savvy younger population which is rapidly rising up the socio-economic ladder.

Risks from the United States (US)-China trade war and an expected turn in global monetary policy will feature high on the agenda as finance and central banking chiefs from the Group of 20 (G-20) gather this weekend in Fukuoka, Japan.The meeting takes place as the world’s two biggest economies ramp up tariffs against each other, hurting the global economy and leaving policy makers struggling to shore up growth.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a train that you either get on or you’ll find yourself being left far, far behind. ASEAN is aware of this. We’ve seen countries like Indonesia and Thailand take lessons from Germany’s model of a 4.0 economy. We’ve also seen countries like Malaysia invest large sums of money on the expansion of information technology (IT) infrastructure to provide an enabling environment for the growth of the digital economy.

Indonesia is one of the region’s best success stories. Despite having faced economic turmoil during the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 under the authoritarian Suharto regime, Indonesia is today one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Vietnam’s strong economic growth in recent years has led to the flourishing of the nation’s digital economy. The country’s economy in 2017 was deemed to be one of the best performing in the region.

As an economic bloc, ASEAN is the fifth largest economy in the world. However, this is not reflected in its adoption of digital transformation.