Newsletters

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Digital Standards Initiative has published a new report, Digitalising Global Trade: A Roadmap to Interoperability and Trust at Scale. While the past two years have seen notable progress in legal reform and the piloting of digital solutions, the ICC DSI cautions that isolated initiatives risk creating new digital silos rather than building a connected system. The report therefore calls for a stakeholder-led approach that combines legal, technical and operational measures to ensure interoperability and trust at scale.

Key recommendations of the roadmap include:

• Greater clarity in navigating the standards landscape is needed, to reduce complexity and enable businesses and policymakers to identify which standards are most relevant for adoption.
• Efforts should concentrate on high-impact areas such as electronic bills of lading, which can generate immediate and substantial efficiency gains across the supply chain.
• Digital trust must be embedded in trade processes by ensuring that data can be verified, authenticated and securely exchanged across borders through globally recognised identifiers and trust services.
• Industry and governments should align their efforts around shared milestones, supported by pilots and collaborative initiatives, to create momentum and scale adoption.

The report points to the work of the FIT Alliance – BIMCO, DCSA, FIATA, ICC and Swift – as an example of how legal, technical and implementation aspects can be brought together in a coordinated way. For freight forwarders, these developments are highly relevant, as efficient and trusted data flows are essential to meet compliance obligations, enhance supply chain visibility and deliver value to customers. Progress in electronic documentation will also be critical to enabling SMEs to participate more fully in global trade.

The message of the ICC DSI is clear: the frameworks and tools are already in place, but progress now depends on consistent execution and alignment across stakeholders.