Digital transformation is affecting how we work, socialize, and create economic value. Digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, and Baidu; and video sharing and music streaming platforms such as YouTube and Spotify create virtual spaces where communities interact and exchange information, goods, and services in a digital place. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of digital platforms through online shopping, Zoom meeting, digital payment, EdTech, and telehealth have intensified; successfully allowing society to maintain essential economic interactions without the risk of infection. The increased role of digital platforms in our economic lives is expected to persist even beyond the pandemic, as more and more businesses, transactions, and interactions move to the digital sphere.

Webinar attendees had the chance to engage with the speakers and were able to:

• discuss the role of digital transformation in opening up the economy and promoting economic recovery after COVID-19;
• understand the likely magnitude of potential economic dividends from digital transformation; and
• hear about key policy and regulatory actions that are essential to leverage the digital economy for economic gains.