Digital Economy stories

China's vast data economy faces hurdles from poor data quality, prompting a push to build a clean, reliable foundation crucial for AI leadership.

Scotland’s tech sector, worth GBP £6.87 billion and employing 100,000, faces ongoing skills shortages despite strong growth and optimism for 2025.

NEXTDC has begun building its first Tokyo data centre, TK1, to support Japan's growing AI, cloud, and digital infrastructure needs with 28MW capacity.

StarHub and NeutraDC have partnered to launch quantum-safe, low-latency data links between Singapore and Indonesia, enhancing security for cross-border enterprise data.

Australia's National AI and Data Centre Plan sparks calls for enforceable energy standards amid rising power demands and concerns for small businesses.

Digital Realty and BW Digital have partnered to link Singapore and Batam with a high-speed submarine cable, boosting data centre connectivity and AI infrastructure growth.

Hulme Grammar School hosts a 12-hour hackathon uniting 100 pupils to tackle local challenges and help close the UK’s GBP £27.6bn digital skills gap.

Agentic AI will transform Asia-Pacific and Japan businesses by 2026, boosting productivity but raising new insider risks and security challenges.

The Chancellor's Autumn Budget faces criticism over vague AI plans, insufficient cyber focus, unclear police tech funding, and gaps in SME support.

BENEFIT and Ant International will launch cross-border QR payments in Bahrain in 2026, enabling 15,000 merchants to accept Alipay+ wallet payments.

Australia's peak retail season intensifies with US tariffs, as retailers leverage real-time payments, smart contracts, AI, and cross-border solutions to boost cash flow.

Beau Tydd has been elected President of the Australian Computer Society for 2026-27, succeeding Helen McHugh to lead Australia's tech profession forward.

TerraPay launches Xend, a global payments network linking wallets, banks and cards for seamless cross-border transactions with Swift integration.

Techcombank funds Vietnam's National A.I. Challenge with $1 million scholarships to boost local AI talent and digital innovation nationwide.

Gen Z expects a digital economy that moves as fast and fluidly as their online lives, demanding real-time, seamless monetary interactions and value exchange.

The US penny's retirement signals a shift to blockchain micropayments, enabling fast, cheap digital transactions once hindered by legacy payments systems.

With the UK’s PSTN network ending in 2027, over 5.5 million SMEs must urgently switch to digital communications to avoid disruption and boost resilience.

Babeltext enables Shopify merchants to communicate in 195 languages via AI-powered messaging, easing global sales and boosting customer confidence.

New underground data centres paired with agrovoltaic farms and solar cooling offer a sustainable model supporting agriculture, food security and climate goals.

Indosat partners with Indonesian universities to boost AI skills, aiming to address the digital gap with new AI-driven learning initiatives nationwide.