Editor profile
Editor, Digital ASEAN
Sarah Lim explores the rapid growth of Southeast Asia's digital ecosystem, from e-commerce giants to fintech innovators. She investigates how technology is reshaping consumer behavior and platform economies across the region.
sarah.lim@aseaninsight.orgIn 2023, ASEAN's electricity demand grew by 3.6%, all met by coal and gas, with the share of renewable energy declining. The region needs to expand renewable capacity by 3-5 times, but grid interconnection and insufficient investment pose challenges.
ASEAN is accelerating market integration and industrial upgrading. The upgrade of ATIGA, the DEFA agreement, and energy cooperation plans are injecting new momentum into the regional economy. This article analyzes investment trends and opportunities for the next five years from the perspective of regional synergy.
The Ministry of Labour of Cambodia, in collaboration with SCAN Industrial Services Company, has launched an industry-led skills training program directly aligned with the demands of manufacturing jobs. This model reflects the human capital challenges and solutions in the relocation of manufacturing within ASEAN.
SCAN Industrial Services and Cambodia’s Ministry of Labor have launched an industry-led skills training cooperation, directly linking vocational training with manufacturing employment. This initiative not only concerns Cambodia’s own industrial upgrading but also reflects the human capital competition in the ASEAN region against the backdrop of manufacturing relocation.
ASEAN consumers are shifting from search engines to AI assistants and super apps for discovering information, leading to a decline in traditional website traffic. This article analyzes three major content strategy transformations that regional digital leaders must undertake: from keywords to conversations, from quantity to authority, and from owned channels to a seamless omnichannel experience.
Guangzhou Port Group and Maersk have signed a strategic cooperation memorandum, focusing on the upgrade of Nansha Port into a core Asia-Pacific hub. This article analyzes from an ASEAN perspective how this cooperation will affect regional trade logistics, supply chain resilience, and the port competition landscape.
ASEAN plans to build five submarine power cables by 2040, but beyond technical feasibility, the lack of a regional governance framework is the biggest bottleneck. This article analyzes three governance gaps: planning, cost allocation, and marine coordination, as well as the lessons from European experience for ASEAN.
The strategic alliance between World Bridge Group and DRSB Express will promote the development of cross-border e-commerce and logistics in Cambodia, enhance its position in the ASEAN regional supply chain, and facilitate the improvement of digital trade infrastructure.
This article analyzes the energy security challenges faced by ASEAN, including the vulnerability of the Malacca Strait, dependence on fossil fuels, renewable energy potential, supply chain risks, and great power competition, and proposes a regional cooperation framework to enhance economic resilience.
Myanmar's fintech struggles to survive amid political turmoil, sanctions, and weak infrastructure. Its development trajectory reflects the geopolitical risks and inclusivity challenges faced in the ASEAN financial integration process.
Based on the latest Deloitte report, analyze the impact of India's economic outlook on ASEAN regional trade, supply chains, and investment flows.
Korean carbon management company Glassdome has partnered with Vietnam's KBC and HOUSELINK to provide a carbon management platform for industrial parks in northern Vietnam, helping companies address global carbon regulations such as CBAM. This collaboration highlights the critical role of ASEAN manufacturing in the green transformation of supply chains, as well as the trend toward standardization of regional carbon management.
Cambodia's telecommunications giant Metfone has launched its logistics service, Metfone Express, intensifying competition in an already fast-growing logistics industry. This article analyzes the changes in the industrial chain, digital transformation, and regional supply chain integration trends behind this event from the perspective of the ASEAN region.
The launch of Metfone Express is not merely the addition of a new player to Cambodia’s logistics industry; it also reflects the accelerating restructuring of local delivery, cross-border transport, and digital logistics services. For ASEAN, such changes mean that smaller and medium-sized economies are reasserting their place in regional supply chains through logistics infrastructure and service capabilities.
An ASEAN regional perspective starting from enterprise ERP deployment choices: why Cambodia, as it moves toward the next stage of growth, must place digital infrastructure, compliance capabilities, and supply chain coordination on the same strategic map.
The World Bank has raised its medium-term growth forecast for Vietnam, highlighting its central role in ASEAN manufacturing relocation, supply chain restructuring, and foreign capital inflows; however, external shocks, shortcomings in domestic enterprises, and the capacity to implement reforms are determining whether this round of growth can be translated into more solid regional competitiveness.