Challenges and Opportunities for SMB’s in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, as a region, is experiencing exponential growth according to economists. The 10 ASEAN countries combined make up the seventh-largest economy in the world. Southeast Asia is also the world’s fastest growing Internet region with a user base of 260 million that is set to grow to 480 million by 2020. Rate of digital adoption here in unmatched. People in Philippines send more texts that any other country, and Jakarta is the world’s number 1 city for tweets. What about the internet economy? Well even that’s expected to grow to USD$200 billion by 2025. So how then can SMBs in Southeast Asia seek out the best opportunities and drive growth in this vibrant business environment? We speak to Ivan Epstein, President of Sage International and Chairman of the Sage Foundation about the challenges and opportunities in the SMB market in Southeast Asia.