•The Trade initiative also plays an important role in shaping integration policies, analysing global value chains and emerging trade policy issues. Anchored around the ASEAN Working Group for SME policies and the ASEAN SME Policy Index, the Network on SME policies helps improve, complement, and streamline different SME support and promotion policies. This helps countries boost productivity, find the ‘missing middle’ of productive medium-sized enterprises able to compete regionally and globally, and to diversify and move to higher value-added activities.