APINDO: ION Can Accelerate Digitalisation for MSMEs
Interoperability is the key to the next stage of development in Indonesia’s digital economy.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Employers’ Association (APINDO) has stated that the Indonesia Open Network (ION) can serve as a solution to accelerate the digitalisation of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), expand market access, and reduce the costs businesses face when entering the digital trade ecosystem.
“Interoperability is the key to the next stage of development in Indonesia’s digital economy,” said APINDO Chairperson Shinta W. Kamdani in a statement issued in Jakarta on Friday.
Shinta said that, as the representative of the national business community, APINDO is working with ION to broaden business participation whilst accelerating the adoption of the open digital network across various industrial sectors.
ION is a national programme launched in Jakarta on Tuesday (07/07/2026), and it forms one of the strategic agenda items of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Indonesia on 7–8 July 2026.
The launch was welcomed by President Prabowo Subianto and Narendra Modi as part of efforts to strengthen the Indonesia–India strategic partnership in the field of the digital economy.
ION, she continued, is an implementation of the memorandum of understanding on digital development cooperation signed by Indonesia and India in January 2025. That cooperation covers the development of Digital Public Infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and digital innovation.
Shinta, who also serves as Chair of the Indonesia Open Network Advisory Council, explained that ION provides shared digital infrastructure enabling various actors in the trade ecosystem to connect without having to depend on any single platform.
“ION builds shared infrastructure that lowers barriers to innovation, reduces business costs, and opens opportunities for companies of all scales to grow in digital trade,” she said.
According to Shinta, interoperability between systems is important because MSME digitalisation has long been hampered by marketplace fragmentation, technology integration costs, limited access to logistics and financing, and the high cost of customer acquisition.
Through the open network, businesses of all sizes can enjoy lower transaction costs, broader market access, and better digital connectivity.
The system also opens opportunities for marketplaces, logistics companies, banks, payment providers, and business applications to collaborate on top of the same infrastructure.
ION is a nationally scaled open digital trade infrastructure designed to connect businesses, marketplaces, logistics providers, payment systems, financial institutions, and various digital services within one interoperable network.
Unlike conventional marketplaces, ION is not a new e-commerce platform. ION functions as shared infrastructure enabling buyer applications, seller applications, marketplaces, logistics companies, payment systems, banks, and digital service providers to interconnect within a single national ecosystem.
Under this approach, businesses need only carry out a one-time integration to connect with multiple platforms and services. The principle it espouses is “Join Once, Sell Everywhere”.
“It is hoped that this model can reduce technology integration costs, encourage innovation, foster healthy competition, and provide wider choices for businesses and consumers alike,” she added.