ADB organized the Launch Seminar of the Asia Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Monitor (ASM) 2025 Edition, which addressed the theme “Global Uncertainty, Trade, and Private Sector Businesses in Asia and the Pacific” on 12–13 November 2025 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The ASM was a signature knowledge product published annually by ADB. It supported ADB’s developing member countries in promoting evidence-based policy design for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) development by providing a unique data platform and delivering high-quality analyses on MSMEs. Past editions were available online.

Day 1 (12 November) discussed key findings from the ASM 2025 edition, with policy dialogue sessions on MSME development strategies and finance amid global uncertainty, as well as discussions on rethinking MSME trade policies. Day 2 (13 November) featured a back-to-back academic session co-organized by the ADB and the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Institute, which addressed the challenging global trade environment and the private sector in developing Asia. The Day 2 event aimed to promote high-quality, frontline research on MSME development issues that support inclusive growth in developing Asia and the Pacific, and to foster knowledge sharing among social scientists, development practitioners, and policymakers. It featured selected papers, which were incorporated into the thematic book under the ASM 2025 to be launched in the first quarter of 2026.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of the seminar, participants had:

• familiarized themselves with emerging trends in MSME development, access to finance, and relevant policies in Asia and the Pacific;

• identified key policy issues on MSME development toward resilient growth in the region; and

• encouraged policy discussions on new, innovative ideas to design an MSME ecosystem nationally and regionally.