USABC's Inaugural Digital Economy Dialogues Engage Key Singapore Government Leaders

(Singapore) – On July 3, the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) concluded its inaugural Digital Economy Dialogues in Singapore, which took place over the course of May to July 2023. The event consisted of bilateral dialogues with six senior officials from four digital agencies in the Singapore Government. The dialogues provided a timely opportunity for members to engage on key digital topics of interest and the scope for further collaboration, including local and regional developments on Artificial Intelligence (AI), cross-border data flows, cybersecurity, and digital trade.

USABC and its participating members met with the following officials: Mr David Koh, Chief Executive, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore; Ms Aileen Chia, Deputy Chief Executive (Connectivity Development & Regulation) and Director-General (Telecoms & Post), Infocomm Media Development Authority; Ms Denise Wong, Assistant Chief Executive-designate (Data Innovation & Protection Group) of the Infocomm Media Development Authority and concurrent Deputy Commissioner-designate of the Personal Data Protection Commission; Ms Jane Lim, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry; Mr Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief FinTech Officer, Monetary Authority of Singapore; and Ms Loo Siew Yee, Assistant Managing Director (Policy, Payments and Financial Crime), Monetary Authority of Singapore.

The delegation was led by Amb. Michael W. Michalak, Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director of USABC, and Mr. Seow Hiong Goh, Executive Director of Global Policy & Government Affairs in the Asia Pacific of Cisco Systems, Inc. and Chair of USABC’s ICT Committee,

“We welcome the Singapore Government’s collaborative approach towards policymaking, through continued engagements with industry players like USABC members.", said Amb. Michael Michalak. "This bodes well for business confidence, and our members’ continued investments in Singapore as a regional innovation hub. USABC and our members certainly look forward to engaging agencies further, at upcoming events in the second half of this year,” he added.

“The opportunity for industry to dialogue directly with key policy makers in key stakeholder government agencies is invaluable. The candid exchange of views on how Singapore’s digital regulatory landscape can be shaped will help better prepare Singapore in light of emerging technologies and new challenges that lie ahead”, said Seow Hiong Goh. “Our discussions with the officials during this series of engagements have been very fruitful. U.S. industry is happy to continue to provide support and insights to help create a conducive and sustainable digital ecosystem in Singapore and the wider region.”

The delegation comprised of 11 USABC Member Companies in technology and financial services sectors.