This special issue examines how digital trade and cross-border e-commerce can promote accessible, inclusive and sustainable development across Asia and the Pacific. It analyses global e-commerce development pathways and the macroeconomic implications of ASEAN e-commerce integration, emphasizing connectivity, digital capabilities, regulation and institutional readiness. Country studies from Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia assess how digital platforms and e-commerce adoption affect firm performance, productivity, labour outcomes, efficiency and market access. Other contributions consider convergence in cross-border digital-trade rules, the effects of trade agreements on digitally delivered services, and the role of digital provisions in expanding finance and insurance service exports. Collectively, the papers recommend closing digital divides, strengthening trust, consumer protection and cybersecurity, supporting smaller firms, harmonizing regulatory frameworks and deepening regional cooperation so that the benefits of digital transformation are broadly shared.