ASEAN, WEF turn to DEFA implementation in first digital economy outlook

ASEAN and the World Economic Forum published the first ASEAN Digital Economy Outlook 2026 after completing negotiations on the DEFA agreement. The document focuses on implementation: gaps in digital payments, logistics, regulation, and skills, as well as varying awareness of DEFA — from less than 5% to 68% across countries.

• DEFA covers 11 ASEAN countries with about 680 million people
• ASEAN digital economy could reach $2 trillion by 2030
• Awareness of electronic transactions varies from 14.6% to 95.4%
• Skills and talent is ASEAN's weakest indicator among those measured