Women entrepreneurs can power Asia’s digital trade boom

Asia’s next big digital growth story may not come only from large platforms or technology firms. It could also come from millions of women entrepreneurs who are beginning to use e-commerce, digital payments and online services to reach markets beyond their neighbourhoods, cities and borders.

Across the region, digital trade is moving from the margins of commerce to the centre of business growth. Online marketplaces, fast-payment systems, platform-based services and cross-border e-commerce are changing how firms sell, export and scale. For small businesses, this can reduce the distance between a local product and a global customer.

However, one major opportunity remains underdeveloped: women-led enterprises.


For women entrepreneurs across Asia and the wider Global South, digital trade can open doors that traditional markets have often kept closed. It can help them sell goods online, provide services remotely, receive payments digitally and grow businesses without always needing a physical shopfront, large networks or international travel. This matters for women who face mobility constraints, caregiving responsibilities, limited access to finance, or discrimination in traditional business environments.

The opportunity is large. According to UN Trade and Development data, digitally deliverable services, services that can be supplied remotely through the internet ,accounted for 56% of global services exports, while the share in Least Developed Countries stood at only 16%. Asia has recorded the strongest increase in the share of digitally deliverable services in total services exports since 2015.

E-commerce is expanding rapidly as well. UNCTAD’s latest e-commerce data show that business e-commerce sales reached US$28 trillion in 2024 across 45 developed and developing economies that together account for around three-quarters of global GDP and exports. Between 2016 and 2024, the average annual growth rate of business e-commerce sales in developing economies for which data are available was almost double that of developed economies.

This is where Asia has a strategic opportunity. The region is home to some of the world’s largest e-commerce markets, fast-growing digital services exporters and advanced payment ecosystems. However, the gains are uneven. Large firms and better-connected urban businesses often capture digital opportunities faster than smaller firms, rural enterprises and women-led businesses.

India offers an important example of what public policy and digital infrastructure can make possible. Its digital public infrastructure has helped reduce transaction costs and expand access to digital payments at scale. According to official data, UPI processed over 24,162 crore transactions worth about ₹314 lakh crore in FY 2025–26. The same official release notes that UPI accounts for nearly 49% of global real-time payment transaction volume, a milestone recognised by the International Monetary Fund.

India’s enterprise base also shows the scale of the opportunity. As of 28 February 2026, India had more than 3.07 crore women-led enterprises registered on the Udyam Registration Portal and Udyam Assist Platform. The Open Network for Digital Commerce is another effort to lower entry barriers to e-commerce. Official data show that, as of 31 December 2025, around 206,000 merchants had conducted at least one transaction on the ONDC network.

These developments matter beyond India. They show how digital payments, open networks and public digital infrastructure can reduce frictions for smaller firms. However, infrastructure alone will not ensure that women entrepreneurs benefit equally.

The gender digital divide remains real. The International Telecommunication Union estimates that globally, 77% of men use the internet compared with 71% of women. It also notes that the gender parity score for Asia-Pacific declined slightly from 0.92 in 2019 to 0.91 in 2025. This suggests that progress in the region cannot be taken for granted.

Finance is perhaps the bigger barrier. Digital businesses require working capital to buy inventory, pay for logistics, invest in technology, advertise online, manage compliance and expand into new markets. Yet women entrepreneurs remain disproportionately underserved. The SME Finance Forum, managed by IFC, estimates that women-owned businesses account for 34% of the global MSME finance gap, valued at about US$1.9 trillion. The World Bank has estimated that if women entrepreneurs had equal access to finance, the growth of their companies could generate a US$5–6 trillion expansion in global GDP.

This is not only a gender issue. It is a business and competitiveness issue.

For women-led firms to use digital trade effectively, they need more than internet access. They need affordable connectivity, reliable electricity, digital skills, trusted payment systems, access to credit, efficient logistics, consumer protection, cyber safety and simpler cross-border trade procedures. E-commerce is not only about being online. It is about being able to transact, deliver, receive payments, build trust and scale.

Targeted initiatives can help close these gaps. UNCTAD’s eTrade for Women initiative supports women digital entrepreneurs in developing countries through capacity-building, networks, advocacy and policy dialogue. In December 2024, UNCTAD organised the inaugural eTrade for Women masterclass for South Asia in New Delhi, bringing together women digital entrepreneurs from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The programme focused on scaling women-led digital businesses, improving access to capital, navigating regulations and strengthening policy dialogue.

Globally, eTrade for Women has supported more than 450 women entrepreneurs from 65 countries. The International Trade Centre’s SheTrades Hubs provide another model of support. In March 2025, SheTrades Hubs expanded to India and Sri Lanka, with the India Hub hosted by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations. The wider SheTrades Hub network has delivered skills training to 4,500 women entrepreneurs and helped generate millions of dollars in new sales and business leads.

For Asia, the policy and business agenda is clear. Governments need to treat connectivity, electricity, digital payments, logistics and digital skills as core economic infrastructure. Financial institutions need to collect and use gender-disaggregated data and move beyond collateral-heavy lending models. Platforms need to design for smaller sellers, not only large firms. Development partners need to scale programmes that combine skills, finance, networks and policy voice.

India’s experience shows that digital systems can transform access when public policy, scale and interoperability come together. The next step is to ensure that these systems work better for women entrepreneurs, not only in India but across Asia and the Global South.

Digital trade will not empower women simply because it exists. It will do so only if the systems around it are designed to help women connect, borrow, sell, export and lead.

For Asia, this is not just a gender equality priority. It is an imperative for growth, competitiveness and enterprise development.


(Shamika N. Sirimanne is Senior Adviser to the Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development. She previously served as Director of UNCTAD’s Division on Technology and Logistics, where her leadership covered UNCTAD’s work on the digital economy, e-commerce, trade facilitation, science, technology and innovation, and inclusive development.)