Abstract
1. The authorities launched the Digital Economy Master Plan 2025 in June 2020 and continue to accelerate digital transformation.
Digitalization in Brunei and Singapore1
1. The authorities launched the Digital Economy Master Plan 2025 in June 2020 and continue to accelerate digital transformation.
Vision: Smart nation through digital transformation
4 Strategic thrusts: Industry digitalization, Government digitalization, Thriving Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry, Manpower and talent development
5 Strategic enablers: Smart nation platform, Digital data policy and governance framework, Policy and regulatory framework, Cybersecurity, Research and Development (R&D) and innovation in digital technologies
3 Flagship projects: the National Information Hub (NIH) Project, the Digital Identity Project, the Digital Payment Hub Project
9 Priority areas: Energy, Agri-food, Financial services, Business services, Education, Health, Tourism, Halal, Logistics & transportation
2. Brunei is making progress in the flagship projects as well as several initiatives under the second priority.
Flagship Projects
The National Information Hub (NIH) Project: to enable secure sharing and use of data within the government, was launched in June 2021. To date, 10 Data Providers and 11 Data Users, consisting of Government stakeholder agencies have used this platform. In 2023, 16 Government and non-Government agencies, including financial institutions are expected to participate in it.
The Digital Identity Project: to enable individuals to access a range of government services online, is expected to be ready for implementation by 2023
The Digital Payment Hub Project: to allow seamless and instant transaction among consumers expected to be ready for its implementation and use at the end of this 2023
Other Initiatives
Commercial launch of the Unified Smart Metering System (for both the Smart Electric Meter and the Smart Water Meter)
Agreement on joint investment in an undersea cable system in Southeast Asia (expected to be ready by 2025 3Q)
The FinTech Regulatory Sandbox was launched in 2017 with the set-up of the FinTech Office, to stimulate innovations in the financial sector and several FinTech companies have been approved including, Beep Digital Solutions, which is one of the approved Payment System Operators (PSOs) by BDCB.
The government is also upgrading the Treasury Accounting and Financial Information System (TAFIS 2.0), which will enable the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MOFE) to start using a new chart of accounts aligned with Government Finance Statistics.
3. In 2023 budget, several allocations will continue to be made available to support the endeavors.
Government Data Centre and Cloud Infrastructure($1.9M), IT Central Procurement project, National Education Management System($2M), Phase II and III of the BruHealth System($18M), Bru-HMS Level 1,2&3 Support and Maintenance Service($3.4M)
4. However, overall progress is insufficient due to various reasons, with the impact on industry and economy limited so far.
The Digital Identity Project and the Digital Payment Hub Project which will serve as the backbone of the eco-system are not ready for use yet.
Projects of the private sectors and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) are concentrated in the early years of the Digital Economy Master Plan period, and all projects from 2021 are driven by the public sector.
The absence of specific data protection legislation or statutory law2 hinders business opportunities involved in collection, use, disclosure, and other processing of personal data, given the extensive integration of personally identifiable databases held by the government.3
Insufficient depth of the private sector implies low utilization of the digital technologies to create new services combined with shallow depth of the private sector. Brunei’s rank in Global Innovation Index4 2022 fell from 71st in 2019 to 92nd out of 132 countries with input rank 53rd and output rank 129th. In particular, Knowledge & technology outputs (127th), E-participation (93rd), Government online service (80th), ICT access (76th) are notable weaknesses.
Key Digitalization Projects
Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2023, 347; 10.5089/9798400257223.002.A005
Source: Digital Economy Masterplan 2025Key Digitalization Projects
Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2023, 347; 10.5089/9798400257223.002.A005
Source: Digital Economy Masterplan 2025Key Digitalization Projects
Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2023, 347; 10.5089/9798400257223.002.A005
Source: Digital Economy Masterplan 2025
Innovation Input to Output Performance, 2022
Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2023, 347; 10.5089/9798400257223.002.A005
Source: Global Innovation Index Database, World Intellectual Property Organization, 2022Innovation Input to Output Performance, 2022
Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2023, 347; 10.5089/9798400257223.002.A005
Source: Global Innovation Index Database, World Intellectual Property Organization, 2022Innovation Input to Output Performance, 2022
Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2023, 347; 10.5089/9798400257223.002.A005
Source: Global Innovation Index Database, World Intellectual Property Organization, 20225. Singapore launched the Smart Nation initiative in 2014 of which overall structure is similar to the Digital Economy Master Plan 2025 of Brunei.
3 Main pillars: Digital Economy, Digital Government, and Digital Society
5 Key domains: Health, Transport, Urban solutions, Finance, and Education
1. Health initiatives: Assistive Technology and Robotics in Healthcare, HealthHub, National Steps Challenge™ & Healthy 365 App, TeleHealth
2. Transport initiatives: Autonomous Vehicles, CETRAN5, Contactless Fare Payment, On-Demand Shuttle, Open Data and Analytics for Urban Transportation
3. Urban solutions initiatives: Punggol Smart Town, Smart Nation Sensor Platform6, Smart Water Meter, OneService App, OneService Chatbot, Smart Urban Planning, Smart Towns, myENV App7, Elderly Monitoring System, Dengue Hotspots Survey Drones
4. Finance initiatives: GoBusiness8, Corppass9, Data Innovation Programme Office, FinTech Sandbox, Networked Trade Platform, SGFinDex10, SGTraDex11
5. Digital Government Services initiatives: LifeSG12, National Digital Identity, CentEx13, CrowdTaskSG14, Digital Birth and Death Certificates, HDB Resale Portal
6. Singapore is taking a different approach by focusing more on digital capabilities and business opportunities of the private sector which could also be effective for Brunei in unleashing digital capabilities. Some examples include:
The Advanced Digital Solutions supports the adoption of advanced technologies (e.g., Artificial intelligence, Robotics15, Blockchain and Internet of Things), and integrated digital solutions (e.g., Business-to-business solutions that integrate inventory management, e-invoicing, and digital payments) helping competitiveness and productivity.
The Grow Digital initiative offers small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) digital solutions to expand their businesses through e-commerce platforms, both locally and overseas, creating economies of scale and scope.
The authorities also support upskilling of the digital workforce by a variety of training and reskilling initiatives such as SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways-Company Training (SGUP-CT), SGUnited Skills (SGUS), SkillsFuture Career Transition Program (SCTP), SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways-Company Attachment (SGUP-CA).
7. Singapore (Monetary Authority of Singapore) is also advancing digital innovations in the financial sector, making significant progress.
Active areas are digital banks, central bank digital currency (CBDCs), cross-border payment systems and use of crypto assets.
References
Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD), 2018. “Digital Payment Roadmap for Brunei Darussalam 2019–2025.” Brunei Darussalam.
AMBD, 2020. “The State of FinTech in Brunei Darussalam Year 2020.” Brunei Darussalam.
Digital Economy Council, 2020. “Digital Economy Masterplan 2025.” Brunei Darussalam.
Koh KS, Lim HS, Lim J, Wei Y, Minn PY, Wong J., 2022. “Development and implementation of a national mobile health application: a case study from Brunei” J Glob Health 2022;12:03083
International Monetary Fund, 2021. “Singapore 2021 Article IV Consultation Staff Report.” IMF Country Report No. 21/156
International Monetary Fund, 2022. “Singapore 2022 Article IV Consultation Staff Report.” IMF Country Report No. 22/233
Smart Nation and Digital Government Office, 2018. “Smart Nation: The Way Forward.” Singapore.
World Intellectual Property Organization, 2022. “Global innovation Index 2022: What is the future of innovation-driven growth?”
Prepared by Jonghyun Kim and Shohhei Kawase.
The Authority for Info-Communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) is currently developing a new law and has drafted the Personal Data Protection Order (PDPO).
Koh KS, Lim HS, Lim J, Wei Y, Minn PY, and Wong J., “Development and implementation of a national mobile health application: a case study from Brunei”. J Glob Health 2022
This index is produced by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and was used in the Digital Economy Master Plan 2025 to show Brunei’s digital landscape at the time.
The CETRAN test circuit enables research and testing of self-driving vehicles before these officially hit the roads.
SNSP is an integrated, nationwide platform that uses sensors to collect essential data that can be analyzed to create smart solutions.
A convenient tool to update the public on the latest environmental news, including PSI readings and dengue outbreak alerts.
GoBusiness is the go-to platform for businesses in Singapore to access Government e-services and resources.
A secure log-in method for business to transact with the Government online.
SGFinDex is the world’s first public digital infrastructure to use a national digital identity and centrally managed online consent system to enable individuals to access their financial information held across different government agencies and financial institutions.
SGTraDex is a digital infrastructure that facilitates trusted and secure sharing of data between supply chain ecosystem partners.
LifeSG allows you to easily access Government services, keep up with the latest news and updates, track your applications and more.
The Centre of Excellence (CentEx) allows us to innovate quickly and develop citizen-centric services effectively.
CrowdTaskSG is a web portal for government agencies in Singapore to engage citizens and gather insights through crowdsourcing tasks.
Singapore has become one of the top global users of industrial robots, with its robot density increasing from about 1 operating robot per 1,000 employees in 2008 to 45 operating robots per 1,000 employees in 2018.
