Digital Economy

About this programme

Highlight

Featured authors

Research

Rigorous studies and data that inform regional tech policies

Digital Platforms for Public Benefit: From Digitalisation to Platform-Enabled Governance

Digital Platforms for Public Benefit is a research series by the Tech for Good Institute exploring how governments and commercial digital platforms across Southeast Asia can work together to deliver public goods and services. The series documents collaboration models, implementation challenges, and practical guidance for policymakers in the region.

Following the first report released in 2024, the 2026 edition examines how governments in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia are partnering with commercial platforms to strengthen policy implementation and deliver public benefit at speed and scale.

The report is accompanied by a downloadable playbook, which provides a practical guide for government officials and policymakers to apply the report’s four-phase collaboration pathway.

Download Report Download

The Evolution of Tech Governance in Southeast Asia-6 – Third edition

The Evolution of Tech Governance in Southeast Asia-6 (SEA-6) is an annual series produced by Tech for Good Institute (TFGI). The series aims to examine how governance approaches to the digital economy and society are evolving across Southeast Asia, document regulatory developments and explore regional trends.


Building on two years of tracking governance developments across the region, this marks the third edition of our series. It highlights the transition of governments from agenda-setting towards more established regulatory frameworks, implementation mechanisms, and institutional arrangements within the digital economy and society.

Download Report Download

Insights

Expert analysis on regional emerging trends

What ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement Means for Philippine MSMEs

Following the conclusion of negotiations in May 2026, tech policy veteran Monchito Ibrahim examines how the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) can propel local small enterprises into regional powerhouses—if national implementation leaves no business behind.

Sovereignty, Safety, Skilling: What Six Roundtables across Southeast Asia Taught Us About AI Governance

Across six roundtables in Southeast Asia under our Tech Governance in Southeast Asia-6 series, stakeholders identified three priorities shaping the region’s next phase of AI governance: sovereignty, safety, and skilling. This article by Keith Detros, Programme Manager, and Duong Dinh, Programme Associate at the Tech for Good Institute, examines how these priorities are taking different forms across countries and why regional cooperation will be critical to turning national approaches into a more resilient and interoperable AI ecosystem.

Governance Meets Reality: Malaysia’s Evolving Tech Governance

In the fifth of our six-part country spotlight series under Tech Governance in Southeast Asia-6, Farlina Said of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, examines how Malaysia's tech governance landscape is evolving at mid-2026.

Across the region

Shaping the Digital Future: Regulatory Updates from Singapore

In the last part of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia for 2024, Keith Detros and Hamizah Myra from Tech For Good Institute dive into Singapore's tech governance landscape for the first half of 2024.

Interested to read the full summary of our Tech Regulation insights across Southeast Asia? Subscribe to the Tech for Good Institute mailing list to receive the latest research, insights, and updates.

Pathfinding in Digital Governance: Singapore’s Holistic Approach to Digital Regulation

In this article, Janessa Kong, Senior Policy Analyst at SIIA (Singapore Institute of International Affairs), shares her insights on Singapore's pragmatic and forward-looking approach to holistic tech coordination and regulation. This article builds on the Tech For Good Institute's (TFGI) latest research on Tech Regulation.

National-level priorities to grow the digital economy: Spotlight on Singapore

As part of Tech For Good Institute's new qualitative study to better understand how the concept of “Tech for Good” may apply in the context of Southeast Asia, this series provides an overview of the national-level priorities of Southeast Asia-6 (SEA-6) [1] economies as they pursue digital economy development. This article also examines how Digital Economy Companies (DECs) can play a part to advance the countries' digital economy.

Governance Meets Reality: Malaysia’s Evolving Tech Governance

In the fifth of our six-part country spotlight series under Tech Governance in Southeast Asia-6, Farlina Said of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, examines how Malaysia's tech governance landscape is evolving at mid-2026.

Governing Malaysia’s E-Commerce: Navigating Growth, Competition, and Consumer Protection

As Malaysia’s digital economy continues to expand rapidly, regulatory frameworks are evolving to keep pace with new risks and opportunities in e-commerce. This article examines the ongoing policy reforms aimed at strengthening consumer protection, enhancing market accountability, and improving competition, and explores what these changes mean for building a more balanced, inclusive, and secure digital marketplace.

When Platforms Become Policy Infrastructure — Driving Practical Implementation

In this commentary, Dr. Wan Khatina Nawawi, Managing Director of EconWorks Advisory, reflects on insights from the Digital Platforms for Public Benefit roundtable organised by TFGI and PIKOM in Malaysia in November 2025, examining how platform-government collaboration is reshaping policy implementation and why managing the trust, accountability, and privacy trilemma is central to building durable platform-enabled governance.

Advancing Platform Governance in Thailand: Developing a Comprehensive Framework for Fairness and User Protection

Digital platform regulation is among Southeast Asia’s most pressing economic challenges, driven by rapid market expansion and the need to balance innovation with oversight. Thailand is no exception. This article explores Thailand’s ambitious draft Platform Economy Act (PEA), the stakeholder debate surrounding its EU-inspired approach, and shares strategic recommendations for Thai policymakers.

Protecting Consumers in Thailand from Online Scams and Fraud

Online fraud has become a critical battleground in Thailand, with over one million reported cases causing substantial financial loss and eroding public trust. In this article, Nisara Kaewsuk, Sujitra Sompan, Chotiwit Kerdsanongpong, and Munin Saisangchan from the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC) examine these legislative developments and advocate for integrated prevention strategies to ensure digital safety and justice for consumers.

Rules in Action: Thailand’s Evolving Tech Governance

In the first part of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia for 2025, Anont Tanaset, Policy Specialist at the
Office of the National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO), examines Thailand's tech governance landscape for the first half of 2025.

Interested to read the full summary of our Tech Regulation insights across Southeast Asia? Subscribe to the Tech for Good Institute mailing list to receive the latest research, insights, and updates.

The ASEAN DEFA: Empowering Indonesia’s MSMEs

The ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) — the world's first major region-wide digital economy agreement — has entered its two-year negotiation phase. In this article, we invite OVO, Indonesia's leading e-wallet application, to share insights on DEFA's implementation, its impact on private sector operations, current challenges, and future strategies.

Addressing Legal Ambiguities and Regulatory Gaps: Defining Online Fraud and Scams in Indonesia

In this piece, Joanna Octavia, a researcher at Safer Internet Lab, explores the critical need for clear and consistent definitions of online fraud and scams in Indonesia, highlighting how regulatory ambiguity and fragmentation hinder effective action and coordination in combating these evolving threats.

Shaping the Digital Future: Regulatory Updates from Indonesia

In the second part of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia, Beltsazar Arya Krisetya, Researcher at the Department of Politics and Social Change, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, provides an overview of Indonesia's tech governance landscape for the first half of 2024.

Read the Bahasa Indonesia version of this article.

Interested to read the full summary of our Tech Regulation insights across Southeast Asia? Subscribe to the Tech for Good Institute mailing list to receive the latest research, insights, and updates.

Vietnam’s AI Strategy: Aligning Aspirations with Adaptive Governance

Vietnam has elevated AI to a national mission through its updated AI Strategy and forthcoming AI Law. In this article, Professor Vu Minh Khuong examines how Vietnam can translate bold aspirations into adaptive governance and sustained AI-driven development.

Improving the Regulatory Framework for Tech Governance: The Key to Achieving High Growth in Vietnam

Breakthroughs in technology and digital transformation are set to drive Vietnam's economic growth. In this article, Dr. Nguyen Minh Thao, Former Head of Business Environment and Competitiveness Research at CIEM, and Dr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, expert in Public Policy at VNU explore the need for a regulatory framework to foster innovation.

Read the Vietnamese version of this article.

Shaping the Digital Future: Regulatory Updates from Vietnam

In the third part of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia, Dr. Thao Nguyen Minh from Vietnam's Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) delves deeply into Vietnam's tech governance landscape for the first half of 2024.

Read the Vietnamese version of this article.

Interested to read the full summary of our Tech Regulation insights across Southeast Asia? Subscribe to the Tech for Good Institute mailing list to receive the latest research, insights, and updates.

What ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement Means for Philippine MSMEs

Following the conclusion of negotiations in May 2026, tech policy veteran Monchito Ibrahim examines how the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) can propel local small enterprises into regional powerhouses—if national implementation leaves no business behind.

Governance Meets Reality: Philippines’ Evolving Tech Governance

In the fourth of our six-part country spotlight series under Tech Governance in Southeast Asia-6, Pierre Tito Galla, co-founder and co-convener, Democracy.Net.PH, examines how the Philippines' tech governance landscape is evolving at mid-2026.

Digital Tech Adoption Incentives to Unlock the Next Growth Frontier of the IT-BPM Sector

The Philippines’ IT-BPM sector is growing strongly, but the next growth frontier will come from innovation enabled by advanced digital technologies, such as cloud, AI, analytics, and secure cross-border data systems. These capabilities can help firms move beyond routine outsourcing into innovation-driven partnerships. In this article, the writers explore how targeted digital adoption incentives, structured knowledge partnerships, and clear data governance can support this transition. This article builds upon the 2025 study on the Philippine IT-BPM sector.

Sovereignty, Safety, Skilling: What Six Roundtables across Southeast Asia Taught Us About AI Governance

Across six roundtables in Southeast Asia under our Tech Governance in Southeast Asia-6 series, stakeholders identified three priorities shaping the region’s next phase of AI governance: sovereignty, safety, and skilling. This article by Keith Detros, Programme Manager, and Duong Dinh, Programme Associate at the Tech for Good Institute, examines how these priorities are taking different forms across countries and why regional cooperation will be critical to turning national approaches into a more resilient and interoperable AI ecosystem.

ASEAN’s 11th Member: Charting Timor-Leste’s Digital Future

Admission as ASEAN's 11th member offers Timor-Leste a clear pathway to diversify beyond oil through the digital economy. However, infrastructure gaps, high internet costs, and low digital literacy threaten to stall progress. This article examines the structural hurdles and strategic opportunities defining Timor-Leste's regional integration.

Beyond Technology: Building the Foundations for Sustainable Digital Development

Digital innovation can drive sustainable development for Southeast Asia. But the pursuit of technological progress as the end of innovation comes with tangible risks. This article explores principles for harnessing digital innovation rooted in protecting human dignity, giving voice to vulnerable communities, and caring for the environment. It adapts findings from the digital innovation track facilitated by the Tech for Good Institute at the Global Sustainable Development Conference held in Jakarta Indonesia.

EXPLORE

Focus areas that might interest you

EXPLORE

Not quite what you’re looking for?

Get started by searching for a term or topic

Keep pace with the digital pulse of Southeast Asia!

Never miss an update or event!

Mouna Aouri

Programme Fellow

Mouna Aouri is an Institute Fellow at the Tech For Good Institute. As a social entrepreneur, impact investor, and engineer, her experience spans over two decades in the MENA region, South East Asia, and Japan. She is founder of Woomentum, a Singapore-based platform dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs in APAC through skill development and access to growth capital through strategic collaborations with corporate entities, investors and government partners.

Dr Ming Tan

Senior Fellow & Founding Executive Director

Dr Ming Tan is Senior Fellow at the Tech for Good Institute; where she served as founding Executive Director of the non-profit focused on research and policy at the intersection of technology, society and the economy in Southeast Asia. She is concurrently a Senior Fellow at and the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at the National University of Singapore and Advisor to the Founder of the COMO Group, a Singaporean portfolio of lifestyle companies operating in 15 countries worldwide. Ming was previously Managing Director of IPOS International, part of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. Prior to joining the public sector, she was Head of Stewardship of the COMO Group.


Ming also serves on the boards of several private companies, Singapore’s National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC), and on the Digital and Technology Advisory Panel for Esplanade–Theatres on the Bay, Singapore’s national performing arts centre. Her current portfolio spans philanthropy, social impact, sustainability and innovation.