Kuala Lumpur, 31 October 2025 – TikTok Shop reinforces its commitment to empower Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across Southeast Asia by working closely with ASEAN governments, ministries, and agencies to accelerate their digital transformation journey. As MSMEs form the backbone of ASEAN’s economy, contributing to employment, innovation, and growth, TikTok Shop will continue to innovate efforts to help enterprises unlock their full potential through digital commerce and visibility.
During the recent ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 11 MSMEs took the spotlight to share their transformation stories and conduct LIVE selling sessions to ASEAN audiences, showcasing the power of digital commerce in real time. This included five entrepreneurs from the ASEAN Supporting Our Artisans and Retailers (SOAR) Together programme and six TikTok Shop sellers, each demonstrating how creativity, innovation, and digital tools are transforming small businesses across the region.
While businesses play a vital role in driving ASEAN’s economy, many still face challenges in embracing digital transformation due to limited access to tools, low online visibility, and the lack of scalable business strategies. To bridge these gaps, TikTok Shop, in collaboration with the ASEAN Foundation and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Malaysia, launched the ASEAN SOAR Together programme — a regional initiative that empowers 50 MSMEs representing over 150 entrepreneurs across ASEAN with tailored training, digital skills development, and visibility opportunities.
“TikTok Shop is deeply committed to supporting the digital transformation and upskilling of MSMEs, and the ASEAN SOAR Together programme is a prime example of how we are empowering these MSMEs. Through a combination of training, real-world application, and curated exposure opportunities across ASEAN, we’re empowering entrepreneurs with the tools and opportunities to help them thrive digitally. Most importantly, we’re enabling them to harness the power of TikTok Shop’s unique discovery-to-purchase ecosystem. Our platform’s communities, connected by shared interests, create a powerful digital storefront where anyone can be seen, engaged, and succeed. We are heartened by early successes where participating sellers have seen a robust increase in sales and conversion rates after applying insights learnt from the program and engaging in live selling,” said Chanida Klyphun, Director of Public Policy for Southeast Asia, TikTok.
SOAR-Ing Together during the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2025
The selected MSMEs were empowered to strengthen their digital business capabilities and competitiveness in today’s technology-driven marketplace, particularly in growing their presence on TikTok Shop. Through a series of tailored workshops and training sessions led by TikTok Shop and digital marketing experts, participants enhanced their digital literacy, live-selling techniques, content creation skills, and understanding of policy compliance. The programme not only equipped them with essential tools for growth but also instilled the confidence to scale their reach and impact across the region.
The programme wrapped up at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where five top-performing enterprises — MAGWAI (Philippines), LALAPIS (Thailand), Meatless Kingdom (Indonesia), Redlands Coffee (Vietnam), and Camb-Aha (Cambodia), took center stage to showcase their creativity, resilience, and innovation. Together, they embodied ASEAN’s commitment to economic empowerment and championing the entrepreneurial spirit that fuels inclusive economic growth across Southeast Asia.
During the summit, ASEAN delegates, Yang Berhormat Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah; Ibu Mari Elka Pangestu, Deputy Chairman, National Economic Council of the Republic of Indonesia, and George Barcelon, Chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, ASEAN-BAC Philippines Member visited TikTok Shop’s booth, where they were introduced to the innovative ways their local MSMEs are leveraging the platform to drive growth.
Delegates were impressed by the live demonstrations of the five top-performing enterprises’ LIVE selling sessions. Many acknowledged TikTok Shop’s transformative power in uplifting MSMEs by providing accessible tools, training, and a platform that helps amplify their businesses and look forward to potential collaborations in the near future.
“Our presence at ABIS 2025, concurrent with the 47th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, provides a powerful platform to demonstrate the tangible success of our capacity-building efforts,” said Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation.
“Seeing our MSMEs—the backbone of the ASEAN economy—showcase their growth and digital resilience on this international stage is a moment of immense pride. This success validates the ASEAN SOAR Together programme and the unwavering commitment of our partner, TikTok Shop, in equipping these entrepreneurs with essential e-commerce skills. We are accelerating our efforts to ensure digital transformation remains inclusive, sustainable, and delivers real, lasting prosperity for communities across the region.” he emphasized.
“The ASEAN SOAR Together programme exemplified effective collaboration in advancing ASEAN’s digital economy. Through the partnership between TikTok Shop, the ASEAN Foundation, and ASEAN-BAC, we witnessed MSMEs strengthening their digital capabilities and competitiveness across the region. The outcomes showcased during the recent ABIS 2025, highlighted how targeted initiatives can drive inclusive growth and empower entrepreneurs, especially women and youth, to contribute to ASEAN’s sustainable economic development,” said Tan Sri Nazir Razak, Chairman, ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Malaysia.
The ASEAN SOAR Together programme stands as a key milestone in TikTok Shop’s mission to empower MSMEs and strengthen Southeast Asia’s digital economy. The initiative has equipped entrepreneurs with digital skills, business resilience, and sustainable effective practices to succeed online.
Through this collaboration, TikTok Shop and the ASEAN Foundation continue to reaffirm their shared commitment to empowering entrepreneurs, amplifying local businesses, and fostering inclusive prosperity in a digital-first ASEAN to support the region’s advancement towards the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
