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# e-Conomy SEA projects 17% growth in Southeast Asia’s digital transaction value
- URL: https://www.southeastasiaconnect.com/economy-sea-2026-report/
- Published: 2026-10-22T03:44:36.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-22T03:44:36.000Z
- Description: Google, Temasek and Bain forecast US$368bn in 2026 gross merchandise value, giving regional operators a benchmark for the value traded through digital platforms.
- Author: Southeast Asia Editorial Team
- Tags: News, #google-news, Southeast Asia, Technology

[Google](https://blog.google/?ref=southeastasiaconnect.com), Temasek and Bain & Company project that Southeast Asia's digital economy will reach US$368 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2026\. Their e-Conomy SEA report, released on 21 October, separately estimates that 243 million people in the region actively use generative AI. For regional commerce and technology operators, the figures offer different benchmarks: one for projected transaction value and the other for estimated technology adoption, without establishing that AI use drove commerce growth.

GMV is the value of goods and services transacted through digital platforms; it is not the platforms' revenue or profit. The report's 2026 figure is a projection for the year, rather than a completed sales tally. Its regional coverage spans ten Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, plus Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. The report excludes Timor-Leste from its analysis because of limited data availability and quality.

## E-commerce accounts for most projected GMV

The report places 2026 e-commerce GMV at US$226 billion, 18% higher than in 2025\. Online travel is projected at US$59 billion in GMV, up 10%, while mobility and food delivery are projected at US$40 billion, up 15%. These sector figures show where much of the overall digital-market projection sits. Google's article reports online media separately at US$44 billion in revenue, up 22%; that revenue measure should not be added to the GMV figures as though all three described the same type of transaction.

The 243 million generative-AI-user figure is an estimate of active use, equivalent to 58% of the region's working population in the report. It indicates how widely the technology is being used but does not measure how much commerce or revenue those users generate. The report also projects that the digital economy could exceed US$1 trillion by 2035, a longer-range forecast subject to a different horizon from its 2026 market estimate.

**Source:** [Google, Temasek and Bain & Company e-Conomy SEA 2026 report release, 21 October 2026](https://blog.google/company-news/inside-google/around-the-globe/google-asia/e-conomy-sea-report-2026/?ref=southeastasiaconnect.com).