As digital markets become increasingly concentrated and extractive, many middle powers are charting a strategic “Digital Third Way”, which moves beyond the binary of today’s dominant centralized models. This session examines how to shift from closed proprietary platforms toward a sovereign and resilient digital ecosystem, built on new business models that reward competition, shared innovation and equitable growth. Rather than continuing to encourage individual “national champions”, the conversation will explore the power of shared open-source protocols as a common digital foundation for like-minded partners. By embedding principles such as data agency and democratic accountability directly into the technical architecture, countries can embed values into the tech stack itself. 

The session will unpack the strategic case for open protocols and decentralized technologies as core infrastructure for long-term autonomy and economic security. The session asks a question that is not only technical and profoundly political: Can middle powers build the shared digital infrastructure they need to remain sovereign, competitive and democratic, without reproducing the dependencies they are trying to escape?