Indonesia Moves to Launch Open Digital Commerce Network
Key Takeaways
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JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — Indonesia advances its push for inclusive digital commerce as Indonesia Economic Forum announces the launch of the Indonesia Open Network, or ION, on Wednesday, Feb 5, 2026 in Jakarta to expand market access for micro, small, and medium enterprises through an open digital infrastructure, a move expected to reduce platform dominance and widen participation in the digital economy.
The initiative was formally introduced during the Curtain Raiser on Indonesia Open Network held at Mangkuluhur ARTOTEL, Jakarta, as part of the 12th Annual Indonesia Economic Forum themed “The Digital Archipelago: Building Inclusive Digital Commerce Ecosystem.”
The event was inaugurated by Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Mamman Abdurrahman, accompanied by Vice Minister of Communications and Digital Nezar Patria, and featured panel discussions on digital finance, logistics, and innovation followed by a press conference.
ION was developed as a private sector led but publicly purposed digital public infrastructure that enables interoperability among buyer applications, seller systems, logistics providers, and payment services without locking participants into a single marketplace.
The network emerged from the India–Indonesia technology partnership following the signing of a memorandum of understanding on Digital Development in New Delhi in January 2025 during the Prabowo Subianto and Narendra Modi bilateral visit, which established cooperation on digital public infrastructure frameworks.
Industry leaders involved in shaping ION included Shinta Kamdani, chairman of the Indonesia Employers Association, Ilham Akbar Habibie, chairman of the Indonesian Engineers Association, former communications minister Rudiantara, Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Sandeep Chakravorty, former Open Network for Digital Commerce chairman R S Sharma, and ONDC founding managing director T Koshy.
The steering committee comprised industry professionals including Sachin V Gopalan, Ronald Walla, Primus Dorimulu, Sonny H Sudaryana, Bayu Prawira Hie, and Rani Burchmore to oversee implementation and ecosystem adoption.
ION adopted an open network model similar to India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce, which since its 2021 launch facilitated hundreds of millions of transactions and expanded into mobility, logistics, and financial services to improve small merchant access to digital markets.
A recent study of Indian MSMEs in Tier II and Tier III cities showed average revenue growth of 20 percent after onboarding onto ONDC, highlighting the economic impact of open network commerce models for small businesses.
Globally, Indonesia’s approach aligned with other digital public infrastructure initiatives such as Estonia’s X-Road data exchange system, the European Union’s Gaia-X federated data framework, Brazil’s Pix instant payment system, and Kenya’s M-Pesa mobile money ecosystem.
ION planned to integrate with existing national programs including SAPA UMKM, collaborate with consumer digital platforms as demand drivers, and activate hyperlocal commerce through partnerships with logistics associations and application ecosystems under the Ministry of Communications and Digital.
Technology partners supporting the network development included Google, Protean e-Gov Technologies, Pidge, Networks for Humanity, COSS, and SequelString to ensure secure and scalable protocol-based infrastructure.
With the launch of ION, Indonesia positioned itself among countries adopting open digital standards to expand competition, strengthen MSME participation, and build a more inclusive digital economy.