The role of digital intermediation platforms in opening up international markets

Online platforms are a defining feature of today’s highly digital economy, reshaping how people access services, trade, and interact. Digital intermediation platforms (DIPs) – which connect buyers and sellers without taking ownership of goods or services – play a pivotal role in facilitating e-commerce and digital trade. This paper presents novel data about the diffusion of DIPs across three key consumer-facing sectors: travel and accommodation booking, ride-hailing and carpooling, and online marketplaces. Using website traffic data as a proxy for platform reach, it provides insights not only into the scale and scope of platform uptake, but also the degree of foreign presence in each sector studied. Building on these measures, the analysis considers how regulatory measures affecting digitally enabled services trade are associated with platform diffusion and foreign participation across markets with the aim of enhancing productivity, fostering innovation, and maximising the opportunities of digital trade.