Google, Temasek and Bain project Southeast Asia’s digital economy at $368 billion in 2026

A report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company projects 17% annual growth for Southeast Asia’s digital economy, taking it to $368 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2026 and above $1 trillion by 2035. The study says generative AI is already used by 243 million people—58% of the working population—and is spreading four times faster than mobile internet.

The report projects regional AI usage will rise 60-fold over the next five years, driven by confidence in agentic commerce. Seventy-five percent of users say they would be willing to let AI agents compare prices and complete transactions autonomously. They expect privacy safeguards, transparency about AI capabilities and the ability to reverse transactions before adopting these tools more broadly.