Kuala Lumpur, 26 September 2025: ERIA President Tetsuya Watanabe joined a high-level panel at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Business Dialogue on ASEAN’s Digital Economy 2025, held alongside the 57th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The panel featured H.E. Yeo Han Koo, Minister of Trade of the Republic of Korea; H.E. Helena Budliger Artieda, State Secretary for Economic Affairs of Switzerland; and Vidhya Ganesan, Managing Partner at McKinsey.

The session, titled ‘Seizing the Momentum: Building a Strong Foundation for an Inclusive ASEAN Digital Economy,’ brought together policymakers, business leaders, and experts to discuss strategies for fostering an inclusive ASEAN digital economy in line with ASEAN Vision 2045. Moderated by Mr Joo Ok Lee, Head of Regional Agenda, Asia-Pacific, WEF, the dialogue emphasised the importance of aligning policy frameworks with technological innovation and workforce readiness to ensure equitable participation and long-term sustainability.

In his remarks, President Watanabe highlighted the need for ASEAN to strengthen its innovation ecosystems and talent pipelines, cautioning against becoming primarily a source of human capital for global technology firms. He stressed the importance of supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) so that local entrepreneurs can fully benefit from the digital economy. Investments in reskilling and upskilling, he added, are essential to prepare the workforce of the future.

President Watanabe also pointed to opportunities to scale digital solutions across key sectors such as agriculture, climate adaptation, education, healthcare, and finance, where digitalisation is already enhancing competitiveness and regional integration.

The dialogue reinforced a shared commitment to ensuring that ASEAN’s digital transformation is inclusive, sustainable, and rooted in regional priorities. By advancing innovation, empowering small businesses, and investing in talent, ASEAN can harness digitalisation as a driver of long-term growth and resilience.