APINDO: ION Can Accelerate Digitalisation for MSMEs

The Indonesian Employers’ Association (APINDO) has stated that the Indonesia Open Network (ION) can be a solution to accelerate digitalisation for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), expand market access, and reduce the costs of entering the digital trade ecosystem. APINDO Chairwoman Shinta W. Kamdani said that interoperability is the key to the next stage in the development of Indonesia’s digital economy. As a representative of the national business community, APINDO is collaborating with ION to broaden business participation and accelerate the use of open digital networks across various industrial sectors. ION is a national programme launched in Jakarta as part of a strategic agenda during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Indonesia on 7–8 July 2026. The launch was welcomed by President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Modi as part of strengthening the Indonesia–India strategic partnership in the digital economy. Shinta, who also serves as Chair of the ION Advisory Board, explained that the programme implements a memorandum of understanding on digital development cooperation signed by Indonesia and India in January 2025, covering digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and digital innovation. She explained that ION provides a shared digital infrastructure that allows various trade ecosystem players to connect without depending on a single platform. This shared infrastructure lowers barriers to innovation, reduces business costs, and opens opportunities for companies of all scales to grow in digital trade. According to Shinta, interconnectivity between systems is crucial because MSME digitalisation has so far been hampered by marketplace fragmentation, technology integration costs, limited logistics and financing access, and high customer acquisition costs. Through an open network, businesses of various scales can benefit from lower transaction costs, wider market access, and better digital connectivity. The system also enables marketplaces, logistics companies, banks, payment providers, and business applications to collaborate on the same infrastructure. ION is a national-scale open digital trade infrastructure designed to connect businesses, marketplaces, logistics providers, payment systems, financial institutions, and various digital services in one interoperable network. Unlike conventional marketplaces, ION is not a new e-commerce platform. It functions as a shared infrastructure that allows buyer applications, seller applications, marketplaces, logistics companies, payment systems, banks, and digital service providers to connect within a single national ecosystem. With this approach, businesses only need to integrate once to connect with various platforms and services. The principle is ‘Join Once. Sell Everywhere’. This model is expected to reduce technology integration costs, encourage innovation, create healthy competition, and provide wider choices for both businesses and consumers.