Digital trade

Making trade cheaper, faster, simpler and more secure

Our goal is to digitalise 60-80% of world trade by 2026 – all legal barriers removed and standards and rule frameworks in place so data and information can flow unimpeded. We advocate for open, interoperable systems that are agnostic to technology solutions through the use of international laws, rules and standards.

“The opportunity for companies is to remove paper and create an interoperable environment where information can flow between the public and private sector and across jurisdictions.”

We have been at the heart of driving the digitalisation of trade since 2017 and have played a leading role in setting the world on a trajectory to modernise trade and ensure the trading system is fit for purpose for the 21st century. This is nowhere better illustrated than five years of advocacy by ICC United Kingdom leading to the 2021 G7 Ministerial Commitment to remove legal barriers and the Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023.

Shaping frameworks

  • Work through the ICC Digital Standards Initiative to digitalise 60–80% of world trade by 2026 and provide interoperable digital laws, rules, standards worldwide
  • Co-Chair the B2B Cluster-led Legal Reform and Digitalisation Working Group of The Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda.
  • Continue to work with the international institutions to promote a multilateral approach to trade digitalisation – G7/20, WTO
  • Support the work of the Department for Business and International Trade, Cabinet Office Interoperability Working Group, Single Trade Window and UK National Trade Facilitation Committee to digitalise UK trade corridors, borders and government systems.

Implementing solutions

  • Work through the Centre for Digital Trade and Innovation to implement the Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023, digitalise paperwork and prepare the ground for the integration of trade finance in real time transactions.
  • Design and develop a reliable systems framework to deliver the provisions of the Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023.
  • Scale up supply chain digitalisation through the corporate-led digitalisation taskforce
  • Commission research and deliver test pilots to help make the case for trade digitalisation.
  • Promote the corporate adoption of legal entity identifiers.
  • Input into the ICC Working Group on model digitalisation contract clauses.
  • Promote the C4DTI Legal Assistance Taskforce to support legal reforms in low to middle income countries.

Promoting international best practice

  • Promote scalable solutions through the C4DTI Digital Trade Conference & Awards
  • Provide articles and thought leadership for Trade for Prosperity publication – trade digitalisation edition

Highlight service - Trade Digitalisation Taskforce

The taskforce is a public, private partnership forum between banks, government, industry bodies and solution providers and co-Chaired by the Minister for Exports, Barclays and ICC United Kingdom. Its role is to align efforts and resources between the trade and finance industry and ensure there is a consistent approach to implementing international interoperability frameworks set by the ICC Digital Standards Initiative – laws, rules, standards, solutions.

Members include trade banks, industry associations, international institutions and government.

 

Services

  1. Ensuring the trade finance regulatory framework is conducive and aligned to trade digitalisation
  2. Implementing a cross market infrastructure to reduce trade invoice fraud i.e. learning from success in India, Singapore, Turkey
  3. Providing a digitalisation implementation roadmap – what are we trying to do, why, how this connects to global timeframes..
  4. Reducing anti-money laundering/Know Your Customer bureaucracy
  5. Scaling up the adoption of digital identities for trade – legal entity identifiers

 

2024 key deliverables

  • Basel 3 regulatory impact paper
  • Corporate treasury engagement project
  • Trade digitalisation implementation roadmap
  • Fraud prevention strategy
  • AML/KYC bureaucracy reduction strategy
  • Scale up of legal entity identifiers report
  • Legal entity identifier policy options paper