{
  "id": 17084003,
  "title": "Ant International CEO: Achieving inclusion is critical to re-globalisation, and AI will accelerate it by democratising opportunities",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/ant-international-ceo-achieving-inclusion-is-critical-to-re",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-29T15:59:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "e27",
    "slug": "e27",
    "url": "https://e27.co/ant-international-ceo-achieving-inclusion-is-critical-to-re-globalisation-and-ai-will-accelerate-it-by-democratising-opportunities-20261029/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Peng Yang, the CEO of Ant International, addressed the UNCTAD World Investment Forum on October 28, 2026, advocating for an inclusive \"re-globalisation\" project that leverages AI and digital connectivity to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Yang explained that Globalisation 1.0 primarily benefited large enterprises, while SMEs, which constitute over 90% of global businesses, seldom participated in the global economy due to technology, talent, and resource gaps. He emphasised that achieving inclusion is crucial for re-globalisation, and AI will accelerate this process by democratising opportunities.\n\nOne of the major limitations of Globalisation 1.0 was the concentration of power among large enterprises, leaving small businesses struggling to participate in global trade due to technological, talent, and resource disparities. According to the WTO's 2024 World Trade Report, only 8% of small firms and 15% of medium-sized firms directly export, compared to 30% of large firms. The AI gap further exacerbates this issue, with a 2025 OECD survey indicating that 52% of large firms use AI, while only 17.4% of small firms do. However, Yang highlighted that AI offers a chance to level the playing field and close the gap if SMEs can access equal opportunities through democratised AI technology.\n\nIn the past three years, Ant International has served over 1 million new small merchants in 54 new markets globally, empowering them to participate in global trade. The company has observed significant growth for SMEs when innovation meets inclusion. With powerful full-stack AI-native solutions, SMEs' cross-border transaction volumes have been growing by about 50% annually, which is ten times the global trade growth rate. Yang concluded that with proper innovation and accessible AI technologies, SMEs can thrive on the global stage. Ant International processes 25 million transactions daily across its global payment, account, embedded finance, and digitalisation services, with 95% of its 150 million merchant customers being SMEs.",
  "summary": "Speaking in Doha on 28 October 2026 at the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Forum 2026 panel, “Investing in AI for an Inclusive Digital Future”, Ant International CEO Peng Yang called for a new, inclusive “re-globalisation” project that harnesses AI and digital connectivity to give small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) greater access […] The post Ant…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Financial Post",
        "title": "Ant International CEO: Achieving Inclusion Is Critical to Re-Globalisation, and AI Will Accelerate It by Democratising Opportunities",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/ant-international-ceo-achieving-inclusion-is-critical-to-re",
        "published": "2026-10-28T06:34:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}