On October 14, 2025, Digital Prosperity Asia (DPA) in collaboration with the Indonesia Services Dialogue (ISD) Council hosted an event titled “Breaking Digital Barriers: Platform Access & AI for Indonesian SMEs” in Jakarta. This event brought together key government officials, industry leaders, and digital SMEs to discuss building a more inclusive and competitive digital economy in Indonesia. Key topics included reducing high platform switching costs, overcoming fragmented infrastructure, and improving SME access to transformative technologies like AI.

The event opened with two keynote speeches from Dr. Ir. Ali Murtopo Simbolon, Deputy for Trade and Digital Economy Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs and Dr. Sonny Hendra Sudaryana, Director of Digital Ecosystem Development at the Ministry of Communication and Digital, which highlighted the importance of strengthening and empowering Indonesia’s SMEs to promote interoperability and innovation, and addressing financial and non-financial barriers faced by Indonesian app developers when switching platforms.

Evalueserve’s latest report, presented at the event, highlighted the challenges SMEs face when moving between iOS and Android platforms, sparking vital conversations on the need for open, interoperable digital ecosystems.

The event brought together government representatives, industry leaders, associations and digital SMEs, including the Coordination Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Communication and Digitalization (KOMDIGI), National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and Artificial Intelligence Industry Research and Innovation Collaboration (KORIKA), Indonesia Mobile Phone Association (APSI), Sixty Two, Vidavox and Bhumi Varta Technology.

The first panel, “Clearing Growth Pathways for the Next Indonesian Unicorns,” discussed barriers facing Indonesian SMEs, such as the need for better platform interoperability and lower switching costs, highlighting the importance of fair, scalable policies. The panel then followed by a fireside chat, “AI for All: Unlocking Productivity for SMEs,” which emphasized that AI should be accessible to all businesses, not just large corporations, to boost productivity and competitiveness. 

By fostering collaboration and championing inclusive innovation, we are paving the way for resilient and globally competitive SMEs, helping Indonesia’s digital economy reach its full potential by 2030.

Full event release can be read here. 

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