Expert analysis on regional emerging trends
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Why Southeast Asia’s AI Future Depends on the Non-Profit Sector
This op-ed draws upon insights shared at a fireside chat between Rowan Barnett, Director, Google.org, APAC, EMEA and Global Stronger Communities, and Ming Tan, Senior Fellow and Founding Executive Director of TFGI, at Google.org’s Impact Summit in Delhi, India, in February 2026.
For the next part of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia, Assistant Professor Lim How Khang from Law and Computer Science (Practice) at Singapore Management University (SMU) unpacks the key developments shaping Singapore's tech landscape in the first half of 2025. Key developments include the Code of Practice for Online Safety-App Distribution Services taking effect to mandate store-wide age assurance and safety controls, and the commencement of Part 9 of the Financial Services and Markets Act to create an enforceable perimeter for digital-token services.
The 2025 global pivot from AI safety to rapid acceleration is placing new pressure on Southeast Asia, creating a critical gap between the push for technological supremacy and the need for collective regional governance. This article, republished from Malaysia Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (MYCentre4IR), explores the necessity of regional cooperation to combat transboundary AI risks, and Malaysia's pivotal role as ASEAN Chair in 2025.
For the next part of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia, Farlina Said of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia unpacks the key developments shaping Malaysia's tech landscape in 2025. Key developments include the implementation of the Cybersecurity Act to centralise cybersecurity leadership and the establishment of the National AI Office (NAIO) to institutionalise AI governance.
In the first part of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia for 2025, Anont Tanaset, Policy Specialist at the Office of the National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO), examines Thailand's tech governance landscape for the first half of 2025.
Interested to read the full summary of our Tech Regulation insights across Southeast Asia? Subscribe to our mailing list here.
This copy is also available in Thai, click here to read.
In this first of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia, Anont Tanaset, Policy Specialist at the Office of the National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO), guides us through Thailand's tech governance landscape in the first half of 2024.
This copy is also available in Thai, click here to read.
Interested to read the full summary of our Tech Regulation insights across Southeast Asia? Subscribe to our mailing list here.
The regulation of Thailand's digital economy is decentralised among various agencies, leading to fragmentation implications within its digital economy. In this article, Khemmapat Trisadikoon, and Wichayada Amponkitviwat, researchers at the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), examine the current regulatory landscape, identify gaps, and propose solutions to enhance regulatory effectiveness.
This copy is also available in Thai, click here to read.
This article is also available in Bahasa Indonesia, please click here.
The ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) — the world's first major region-wide digital economy agreement — has entered its two-year negotiation phase. In this article, we invite OVO, Indonesia's leading e-wallet application, to share insights on DEFA's implementation, its impact on private sector operations, current challenges, and future strategies.
In the second part of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia, Beltsazar Arya Krisetya, Researcher at the Department of Politics and Social Change, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, provides an overview of Indonesia's tech governance landscape for the first half of 2024.
This article is also available in Bahasa Indonesia, click here to read.
Interested to read the full summary of our Tech Regulation insights across Southeast Asia? Subscribe to our mailing list here.
This article draws upon insights shared during a seminar titled “Digital Platforms and Impactful Innovation: Towards Sustainable Development in Indonesia”, organised by the Tech for Good Institute (TFGI) in collaboration with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN). The seminar explored the role digital platforms can play in contributing to sustainable development and public benefit in Indonesia.
This copy is also available in Vietnamese, click here to read.
In the third part of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia, Dr. Thao Nguyen Minh from Vietnam's Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) delves deeply into Vietnam's tech governance landscape for the first half of 2024.
This copy is also available in Vietnamese, click here to read.
Interested to read the full summary of our Tech Regulation insights across Southeast Asia? Subscribe to our mailing list here.
This copy is also available in Vietnamese, click here to read.
For the next part of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia, Pierre Tito Galla of Democracy.Net.PH unpacks the key developments shaping the Philippines' tech landscape in 2025. Key developments include the enactment of the Konektadong Pinoy (Connected Filipino) Act to encourage investment and competition in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, and the continued rollout of the e-Gov SuperApp to digitalise government services.
In this fourth of our 6-part series on Tech Governance in Southeast Asia, Francis Mark A. Quimba, Senior Research Fellow, Philippine Institute for Development Studies, guides us through the Philippines' tech governance landscape in the first half of 2024.
Interested to read the full summary of our Tech Regulation insights across Southeast Asia? Subscribe to our mailing list here.
This article draws upon insights shared at a seminar titled "Enabling an Inclusive, Innovative, and Investible Philippine Digital Economy: Opportunities and Challenges," organised by TFGI in partnership with Ateneo de Manila University and the Makati Business Club. The seminar aimed to explore governance, policy, and social initiatives necessary to responsibly grow the Philippine digital economy.
Citra Nasruddin is the Programme Director at the Tech For Good Institute, where she leads research on the responsible and inclusive development of digital economies in Southeast Asia. She is an expert in fiscal policy, financial services, and digital innovation. Prior to joining the Institute, she worked in Indonesia’s public sector, supporting cross-sectoral initiatives with government agencies, international organisations, and the private sector.
Dr. Saliltorn Thongmeensuk is a Senior Research Fellow at the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), specialising in digital platform regulation, AI governance, and intellectual property laws.
Dr Chew Han Ei is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Singapore. His research focuses on digital trust, AI adoption, online harms and technology governance, using quantitative methods to inform public policy and institutional design.
He has led multiple large-scale research projects and works closely with public agencies on evidence-based policy development. He also serves on the board of SG Her Empowerment and is a pro bono Research Consultant to UNESCO on digital inclusion initiatives. He writes The Chart Doctor Has Issues, a newsletter on data storytelling and visual best practices.
Programme Fellow
Mouna Aouri is an Institute Fellow at the Tech For Good Institute. As a social entrepreneur, impact investor, and engineer, her experience spans over two decades in the MENA region, South East Asia, and Japan. She is founder of Woomentum, a Singapore-based platform dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs in APAC through skill development and access to growth capital through strategic collaborations with corporate entities, investors and government partners.
Senior Fellow & Founding Executive Director
Dr Ming Tan is Senior Fellow at the Tech for Good Institute; where she served as founding Executive Director of the non-profit focused on research and policy at the intersection of technology, society and the economy in Southeast Asia. She is concurrently a Senior Fellow at and the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at the National University of Singapore and Advisor to the Founder of the COMO Group, a Singaporean portfolio of lifestyle companies operating in 15 countries worldwide. Ming was previously Managing Director of IPOS International, part of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. Prior to joining the public sector, she was Head of Stewardship of the COMO Group.
Ming also serves on the boards of several private companies, Singapore’s National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC), and on the Digital and Technology Advisory Panel for Esplanade–Theatres on the Bay, Singapore’s national performing arts centre. Her current portfolio spans philanthropy, social impact, sustainability and innovation.
