APEC Makes Digital Economy Inclusion Push

APEC Makes Digital Economy Inclusion Push

Officials and industry representatives meeting this week in Lima detailed actions for expanding individual and small business use of electronic commerce.
According to Edgar Vasquez, Peru’s Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, “Electronic commerce is serving as an instrument to promote inclusion, generating new jobs and facilitating access to financial services in remote areas.”


By the end of 2016, 4.8 billion people worldwide are expected to possess a mobile phone, half of them being smart phone users. Spurred by this trend, spending via electronic commerce is expected to increase 30 per cent in the Asia-Pacific during the 2015-2017 period - more than any other region.
APEC economies are weighing the deployment of regulations and public education programs that support the growth of e-banking and payment channels—making it easier for micro, small and medium enterprises, aspiring entrepreneurs and consumers to participate in electronic commerce.
Rules pertaining to the management and application of data, ranging from online transactions to apps, biometrics and GPS information, are also on the table.
Press-release at the official APEC web-site