Southeast Asia CIOs Turn to Low-Code and AI to Power Rapid Digital Growth: Kissflow Report 

Manila, Philippines — Kissflow’s latest CIO Low-Code Strategy Pulse Report 2025 highlights a major trend sweeping Southeast Asia: the rise of AI-powered low-code platforms to fuel the region’s fast-growing digital economies. 

This shift is taking place as ASEAN’s digital industries are projected to grow from US$300 billion to as much as US$1 trillion by 2030, with AI adoption alone expected to contribute between 13% and 18% to regional GDP by the end of the decade. 

With digital-first mandates rising in both the public and private sectors, the report reveals that 86% of CIOs globally are now using low-code tools to accelerate delivery and reduce dependency on traditional developers. 

As Southeast Asia advances national and enterprise-wide digital transformation agendas alongside rising AI adoption, the demand for ICT talent is outpacing the region’s current supply. Kissflow’s report highlights that most organisations are under pressure to deliver more applications in less time, amid talent shortages and mounting IT backlogs. Over half of CIOs (55%) believe AI will dramatically increase the number of applications developed, underscoring the technology’s role as a catalyst for accelerating development.  

“Southeast Asia is at the digital frontier,” said Rakesh Nandakumar, AVP, APAC of Kissflow. “Low-code and AI together give CIOs in the region a way to scale innovation and localise rapidly—without waiting for limited technical talent.” 

SEA Highlights:

• Strong low-code momentum in banking, government, and logistics. Multiple entity operations, compliance complexity, and service-delivery expectations are accelerating the shift away from traditional development models. 

• Business teams are increasingly participating in app creation via no-code tools. The survey shows that operations (33%), finance (25%) and HR (23%) are already creating applications with minimal IT assistance. This rise of citizen development signals a deliberate shift toward business-led innovation at the edge of the organisation, where speed matters most. 
• AI is seen as a force multiplier, especially in multi-country operations with localised compliance needs. 34% of CIOs globally now consider AI capabilities a core differentiator when selecting a low-code platform. AI is no longer just reshaping development speed, but technology buying decisions in itself. 

SEA organisations now recognise low-code as a strategic tool to bridge talent gaps and support regional expansion. As CIOs look ahead, low-code provides a way to deliver new services faster while building a workforce that can keep pace as digital transformation accelerates. 

About Kissflow 

Kissflow is the only platform that has both no-code and low-code capabilities. Kissflow’s no-code capabilities allow process owners to automate internal business processes on a self-service basis and require no programming knowledge. On the other hand, Kissflow’s low-code capabilities allow internal IT teams to build full-fledged business applications. The unified platform enables enterprises to automate all their middle office processes leading to digital transformation. Kissflow bundles an integration module and a lightweight business intelligence and reporting module in the standard platform offering.