Indonesia prepares to sign ASEAN digital trade framework
The Manila signing is scheduled for Nov. 14, 2026, with the pact intended to replace ASEAN’s existing electronic commerce agreement.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto will sign the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) for Indonesia in Manila on Nov. 14, 2026. Another 10 Southeast Asian nations are also scheduled to sign.
The agreement’s entry into force will follow 180 days after the signatures of all 11 ASEAN members. Indonesia plans to bring together several ministers in a committee to consider the legal instruments needed for ratification. DEFA is intended to replace the ASEAN Agreement on Electronic Commerce, ratified by Indonesia through Law No. 4 of 2021.
Airlangga said implementation was expected to improve digital infrastructure and workforce skills, accelerate the transformation of micro, small and medium enterprises, and strengthen cybersecurity regulation and data governance.
The framework seeks to ease cross-border trade for smaller businesses, make digital payment systems more interoperable and simplify electronic transactions. Its objectives also include stronger consumer safeguards, secure transactions and trusted flows of data across borders.
Negotiations opened during Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2023 to bring national policies on cross-border digital economic activity into closer alignment. Boston Consulting Group estimates that comprehensive implementation could double the value of ASEAN’s digital economy to US$2 trillion by 2030.
The e-Conomy SEA 2025 report put Indonesia’s digital economy gross merchandise value at nearly US$100 billion in 2025. It recorded year-on-year growth of 14 per cent, the highest rate in Southeast Asia.
