Research project Improving competitiveness and regulatory environment for digital economy - International expert on digital trade integration The project aims to strengthen the understanding of ADB developing member countries (DMCs) of the role and impact of regulatory regimes in the digital economy. It will identify existing regulatory gaps in digital trade and investment, assess the economic implications and devise policy recommendations to support digital transformation. It also aims to enhance awareness of policy options available through new-generation digital agreements to strengthen the benefits of digitalisation. Print Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Send by email This project is funded by the Asian Development Bank The digital regulatory environment underpins DMC's capacity to seize the opportunities offered by digitalisation. Coherent and well-designed regulatory regimes are essential for this purpose. Although awareness is growing of the importance of domestic and cross-border regulatory regimes, their economic importance is not well understood. The project aims at examining DMC's alignment with international standards in cybersecurity, data privacy, and digital identity, as well as other pillars of digital integration, including competition, procurement, cross-border data policies, foreign direct investment, and intellectual property rights. Building on established measurement frameworks for digital trade integration, the project expands coverage across Asia and the Pacific to address two main issues: (i) understanding the importance of different pillars of digital integration in economic performance; and (ii) undertaking in-depth sector analyses of the role of digital regulatory frameworks and digital-readiness assessments in key sectors, including services. The project will build on existing pilot studies to assess different levels of implementation of digital policies and regulations in line with global standards for digital cooperation.