Future ready: ASEAN empowered

The Philippines took center stage as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) hosted the high-level ASEAN MSME Summit 2026 last 21 September at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Hall in Pasay City. Convened by DTI chief and ASEAN Economic Ministers Chair Cristina A. Roque, the summit rallied 400 regional leaders, trade ministers, and business trailblazers under the banner of building a globally competitive, future-proof ecosystem.

Aligned with the ASEAN Economic Community Strategic Plan 2026-2030 and the Digital Economy Framework Agreement, the powerhouse convention tackled critical bottlenecks in digital market access, cross-border financing and technology integration for the region’s micro, small and medium enterprises.

In a definitive move to translate regional policy into marketplace success, the Philippines unveiled five landmark ASEAN legacy projects designed to scale local merchants onto the global stage. These game-changing initiatives feature digital growth platforms like the ASEAN Center of Excellence for MSMEs (ACE–MSMEs), the upgraded AMEN 2.0 mentorship hub, and the SME Sustainability and ESG Accelerator Hubs launched alongside the Global Reporting Initiative.

Bolstered by comprehensive cross-border e-commerce and policy studies from the ITC and ERIA, this strategic blueprint — backed by the ACCMSME, ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN-BAC — solidifies a united, private-public front for Southeast Asia’s economic engine.