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And in October 2024, Meta announced plans to roll out Meta AI in several countries in the region—including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Additionally, it plans to add support for regional languages like Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. Nations in Asia-Pacific balance safety guardrails with innovation-driving guidelines.

Retail ecommerce sales growth in Southeast Asia, which has been blazing ahead in recent years, is set for a slowdown as the global economy faces challenges and tech funding shrinks. This year, the Philippines and Malaysia will lead the region in growth.

In January, Malaysia levied a 10% sales tax on imported goods bought online for less than MYR 500 ($110)—implicitly targeting sellers from China. These goods were previously exempt from the sales tax, import duties, and excise duties typically applied to higher-priced products. Thailand implemented similar measures in July.

TikTok Shop was No. 2 in sales in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam in 2023, while Temu generated sales of less than $100 million, according to Momentum Works. Temu’s modest sales was partly due to its late entry and being in only two countries in the region.

Retail ecommerce sales in Malaysia and Vietnam are experiencing high growth rates because of government investments in digital infrastructure, an increase in urbanization and internet adoption, growing smartphone penetration, and a rising number of tech-savvy consumers. Social commerce is also ramping up.

The retail outlook for 2025 is worse than previously anticipated. However, many smaller emerging markets are still in line for strong years, and ecommerce continues to claw share from traditional retail.

Internet adoption in Asia-Pacific will rise from 65.8% in 2025 to 70.2% in 2030, thanks to rapidly expanding infrastructure—particularly in the Philippines, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. But parts of the region are still lagging.

The hikes range from 29% to 45% in Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand and face strong customer reprisal. The change is particularly relevant in Australia, where Microsoft 365 Personal yearly subscriptions jumped to AUD159 from AUD109 (to $105 from $72). The company said price changes would not affect business or enterprise customers.

However, the company also recently laid off hundreds of moderation employees in Malaysia following a regulatory rule change.