ASEAN countries have reported $8.45 billion in cross-border trade settled in local currencies during the first two months of 2026, marking a 163% increase from 2025. According to NS3.AI, this trade activity was primarily concentrated among Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Additionally, ASEAN is advancing local-currency payments through its Regional Payment Connectivity system, which handled 12.9 million transactions in the first half of 2025.