Jakarta, 3 Desember, 2025 – The ASEAN Foundation, supported by Huawei, hosted the “Scaling Digital SMEs in ASEAN: Celebrating ASEAN SME Digital Champions” to honour three Digital SME ASEAN Champions under the Enhancing Digital Skills of SMEs in ASEAN (EDS ASEAN) programme, and to share insights on accelerating digital adoption among ASEAN SMEs in the region’s thriving digital economy, at the Sutasoma Hotel, Jakarta.
Over the past three months, the ASEAN Foundation, with support from Huawei, has implemented the Enhancing Digital Skills of the Small and Medium Enterprises in ASEAN programme (EDS ASEAN), delivering a series of virtual capacity-building sessions to 100 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS). The sessions focused on strengthening digital skills, including areas such as marketing, business adoption, technology readiness, regulatory compliance, and best practices in digital trade and AI-cloud functionality.
From the total participants, three SMEs were selected as Digital SME ASEAN Champions for demonstrating the most consistent engagement throughout all seven training modules, receiving the highest peer evaluation scores, and successfully developing digital transformation strategies considered the strongest and most scalable for the regional market. The three SMEs are Orca: Springhill Farmers’ Market (Brunei Darussalam), an AI-powered platform that connects farmers and consumers through social media-based produce ordering; Ailldoit (Philippines), a video ad automation service that helps SMEs produce marketing content efficiently; and DigiTiket (Indonesia), a ticketing platform for tours, events, and MICE that streamlines operations for tourism businesses.
As part of the EDS ASEAN virtual programme, a three-month series of capacity-building sessions was conducted to strengthen SMEs’ digital skills and strategies in addressing challenges related to business digital adoption, market technology readiness, and regulatory compliance. Supported by Huawei, the programme also highlighted best practices in digital trade and AI-cloud functionality to help SMEs enhance competitiveness in the evolving digital economy.
According to the SMEs and Economic Integration in Southeast Asia research paper, SMEs account for 97 to 99 percent of all enterprises in ASEAN and contribute 60 to 80 percent of total employment, forming the backbone of the region’s economy and a key driver of resilience and growth.
Despite their valuable role, SMEs continue to face structural barriers including limited access to fast and reliable infrastructure, low market reach, and lack of expertise in digital skills.
Recognising these gaps, the ASEAN Foundation partnered with Huawei to launch the EDS ASEAN programme to accelerate digital adoption in the region by conducting a series of virtual capacity-building sessions that equipped SMEs with the tools and strategies to scale productivity in the digital economy.
The capacity-building sessions align with key regional policies, including the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development (2016-2025) and the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework that foster cross-border collaboration among SMEs.
Putting ideas into action
The award ceremony was started with the remarks by the programme’s ambassadors, H.E. Amb. Sitsangkhom Sisaketh, Permanent Representative of Lao PDR to ASEAN and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the ASEAN Foundation; Mr. Peter Pan Junfeng, Vice President of Huawei Asia Pacific Region; and H.E. Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community; who delivered remarks on the importance of advancing SME digital development in the region.
It was then followed by a presentation session highlighting the development potential of SMEs and the role of the ASEAN EDS virtual programme in driving digital transformation. The presentations were evaluated by Dr. Sivaram Superamanian, Assistant Director of the Digital Economy Division, ASEAN Secretariat; Mr. Jorge Zhu Wenjie, Huawei Cloud Eco-Partner Development Director; and Mr. Edmund Carulli, Head of Investment, BNI Ventures. Together, they emphasised the importance of leveraging technologies such as cloud computing, data analytics, and generative AI; developing business strategies that can scale regionally; and demonstrating strong financial storytelling. The judges also encouraged participants to be more creative and bold in exploring new opportunities beyond their comfort zones.
Towards a digital ASEAN
To address challenges in digital adoption, market tech readiness, and relevant regulations, the EDS ASEAN programme organised a Fireside Chat featuring a distinguished set of speakers: Mr. Ea Hai Khov, Assistant Director of the Enterprise & Stakeholders Engagement Division, ASEAN Secretariat; Mr. Jorge Zhu Wenjie, Huawei Cloud Eco-Partner Development Director; and Ms. Jesslyn Gunawan, Value Creation, Trihill Capital.
Moderated by Dr. Satish Rao Appalanaidu, Senior Lecturer, Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Human Development, Sultan Azlan Shah Campus, Malaysia, the Fireside Chat showcased best case studies that SMEs can adopt or replicate to accelerate their digital transformation.
By combining virtual learning outcomes and collaboration, the event generated actionable insights that proved how digitalisation can benefit ASEAN SMEs.
“My warmest congratulations to the Digital SME ASEAN Champions and participants who demonstrated receptiveness and collaboration during the three-month capacity-building. Digitalisation is a key driver of innovation, and we hope that the EDS ASEAN programme has provided SMEs with new opportunities to create value. We will continue our commitment in supporting SMEs and ensuring they will have access to tools, mentorship, and networks to help them sustain long-term growth,” said H.E. Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community.
“I would like to congratulate our EDS ASEAN Champions and the participants who joined this programme. Your openness to innovate and learn proves that ASEAN SMEs can leverage digital tools to scale and grow their businesses. The ASEAN Foundation remains committed to supporting SMEs and showcasing their strong potential for growth and innovation,” said Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation.
“Huawei commends all participants of the EDS ASEAN programme for embracing digital transformation. Our partnership with the ASEAN Foundation underscores the critical link between cloud adoption and SME competitiveness. We are committed to working with ASEAN SMEs to provide tailored solutions that drive and simplify digital transformation,” said Mr. Peter Pan Junfeng, Vice President of Huawei Asia Pacific Region.