Trust and Innovation Take Centre Stage at The Digital Future Conference & Exhibition (DFCE) 2025

The Digital Future Conference and Exhibition (DFCE) 2025 officially commenced with an Opening Ceremony held at the Munawarrah Hall, Setia Point. The event was graced by Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications, as the Guest of Honour.

The event began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Doa led by Yang Mulia Muhd Amin bin Haji Salim, Zone 3 Supervising Officer, Brunei-Muara Mosque Affairs Office. This was followed by welcoming remarks by Haji Jailani bin Haji Buntar, Chief Executive of the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI).

A keynote address was then delivered by the Guest of Honour, where he shared that His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, has graciously consented to the renaming of the Digital Economy Council to the Digital Brunei Council, along with a strategic restructuring of its membership to better reflect the crucial involvement of diverse stakeholders in our digital transformation journey.

The guest of honour also announced a new initiative under AITI called Waspada.bn, a fact checking platform where the public can verify information and news received through social media. Currently available on Instagram to follow, Waspada.bn will be expanded as a website enabling a more comprehensive layout of information for the public to refer to against misinformation and fake news by early 2026.

Addressing the recent enactment of Personal Data Protection Order, the guest of honour highlighted its main purpose, which is to foster greater public confidence, instilling a culture of accountability within organisations and cultivate trust amongst individuals on how their personal data are handled. Upon the end of its one-year sunrise period, the Order will be fully enforced in January 2026. He also commended AITI for the publication of two key guidance documents, “Guide to Developing a Data Protection Management Programme” and “Guide for the Appointment of Data Protection Officers” to assist organisations in navigating through its requirements.

The Opening Ceremony continued with a presentation titled “AI with Purpose: Building a Trusted and Inclusive Digital Future” by Mei May Soo, Chief AI, Global Solution Specialist, Dell Technologies and award-winning AI Leader in Asia Pacific including Top 50 Women Tech Leader in APAC. Following her presentation, Mei May Soo joined a panel discussion on “Striking the Balance: Innovation, Regulation and Building Public Trust”, together with Dominic Paulger, Deputy Director, Future of Privacy Forum Asia Pacific, and Maciej Surowiec, Head of ASEAN Government Affairs, Microsoft, moderated by Allen Lai, Managing Director, Confer Sdn Bhd.

Following the panel session, the Guest of Honour toured the DFCE 2025 Exhibition and officiated the launch of Waspada.bn - a new platform dedicated to combating misinformation and online scams. This multi-agency initiative is jointly led by the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC), AITI, and the Royal Brunei Police Force and aims to promote a safer online space for everyone.

Organised by AITI in conjunction with the Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition (MYCE) 2025, DFCE 2025 is being held for two (2) days, from 4 to 5 June 2025 at Setia Point, Berakas. This year’s conference is carries the theme “Building Trust and Enabling Innovation for a Sustainable Digital Future.” The highly anticipated event explores a range of forward-looking topics including Personal Data Protection, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Online Safety, with a special focus on ensuring that digital transformation enhances, rather than undermines public trust.

The event attracted more than 400 participants. Also in attendance were Yang Mulia Ir. Awang Haji Nazri bin Haji Muhammad Yusof Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC), Deputy Permanent Secretaries at Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism and MTIC, foreign diplomats, AITI Members of Authority, senior government officials and key stakeholders representing various industries.

In conjunction with DFCE 2025, a closed-door ASEAN Conference on Cloud Adoption for the Public Sector is also being held, bringing together representatives from ASEAN member states. In a parallel track, four (4) consecutive workshops will be conducted, offering hands-on learning opportunities in critical areas such as data breach management and development of security frameworks using platforms like Microsoft 365.

Meanwhile, DFCE 2025 also features an exhibition showcasing innovative solutions and key initiatives led by government agencies and the private sector such as Brunei Innovation Lab, Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd, Progresif Sdn Bhd, Comquest Sdn Bhd, Integrated Communications Sdn Bhd and Futurestore Company. Dataworks Sdn Bhd and Drew and Napier LLC featured trainings and consultancy on personal data protection and cybersecurity, while Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) promotes the key sectors from the Brunei Economic Blueprint, including ICT support for MSMEs through Darussalam Enterprise (DARe). 

Online safety awareness was also prominently featured, with the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) and Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB) sharing recent case studies and the latest trends on online scams and cybercrime.

As Brunei Darussalam continues its digital transformation journey, DFCE 2025 serves as a critical platform to bring together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, technologists, and civil society for meaningful dialogue, deep-dive presentations, expert-led discussions and collaborations.