Report: A glimpse into Southeast Asia’s impending golden age

Southeast Asia is on the brink of a golden age. While Covid-19 has knocked even the best-laid of plans off course, the region’s fundamentals and demographic bonus are as strong as ever. The pandemic has also disrupted the status quo and opened up numerous opportunities for transformation across the region.

That’s why this year’s Tech in Asia Conference – all online for the first time – is called “The Golden Age of Southeast Asia: 2021 and Beyond.” The conference, which will be held in October, will gather different individuals, ideas and insights to explore what’s in store for the region.

We’ve decided to get a bit of a headstart on that conversation through the inaugural Tech in Asia Conference Report.

“All That Glitters: A Glimpse Into Southeast Asia’s Golden Age” is an attempt to detail what this coming era will look like. We examined some key verticals that we predict will power economic growth in the region as well as the challenges that startups will have to address and how they can be overcome.

Here are some insights from the report.

1. The backbone of the digital economy will get stronger

Logistics and transportation as well as ecommerce and financial tech (fintech) have been instrumental to Southeast Asia’s economic progress over the last decade. If you think about it, many of the region’s biggest companies are involved in these verticals in one way or another.

They have also received the most funding in the last few years. While funding isn’t necessarily the best indicator of what will fuel the next 10 years, it gives us a good sense of where investor and consumer interest lies.

We also expect these three segments to continue their remarkable rise. They are the backbone of the digital economy: People need to be able to buy and sell as well as make payments and move goods. They’re also vital infrastructure that serves as an entry point to digitalization for many people.

The various regulatory and cultural barriers around ecommerce and fintech as well as logistics and transportation could give local businesses a distinct advantage. And with user behavior and consumption habits changing as a result of Covid-19, these sectors are likely to underpin many of the upcoming developments in the region.

2. New verticals will rise

3. Roadblocks ahead

The golden age and beyond