This February issue highlights progress across DSI’s
priorities, with a focus on implementation and adoption, including the launch
of the Digital Trade Readiness Assessment pilot, key milestones in trade
digitalisation, and the recent DSI engagement in Hong Kong supporting MLETR
alignment and digital trade finance.
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Standards
The pilot phase of the Digital Trade Readiness Assessment is now LIVE. The assessment provides a structured way for companies to evaluate their digital trade readiness across management systems, data management, and cybersecurity, using a three-stage maturity model (Emerging, Established, Advanced). The pilot includes 48 questions and delivers an individual results summary, category-level insights, and benchmarking outputs to support organisations assessing readiness across operations, customers, suppliers, or partners. To access the digital trade readiness assessment, click here; or for questions or expressions of interest, please contact Rae Amarullah or the DSI team.
ATA Carnet goes digital. The global transition to fully digital ATA Carnets will begin on 1 June 2026, with 30 countries committing to accept eATAs, followed by the remaining parties to the ATA Convention over the next two years. Led by ICC in collaboration with the World Customs Organization, this shift marks a major milestone in trade digitalisation, demonstrating that widely adopted, standardised digital solutions can scale without regulatory mandates. Moving the ATA system fully online will streamline temporary admissions, improve efficiency for businesses operating across borders, and lay the foundation for deeper end-to-end data alignment across trade processes. More details here.
ICC has entered into a partnership with the Digital Cooperation Organization(DCO), an international group of 16 member states promoting inclusive growth in the digital economy. Signed at the recent International Digital Cooperation Forum in Kuwait, the collaboration will advance inclusive, trusted digital trade, supporting SMEs, digital adoption, and secure cross-border frameworks, including arbitration.
Legal
Hong Kong engagement on MLETR and Digital Trade. DSI met with the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau recently in Hong Kong on the progress of Hong Kong's effort to align local legislation to the MLETR, covering the public consultation and subsequent next steps. Alongside this, DSI met with the Chair and CEO of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council on private sector engagement. DSI also attended the Asian Financial Forum, participating in a Supply Chain Finance panel organised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, which examined the role of digitalisation in trade finance and corporate treasury.
DSI at the
meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on E-Commerce and Digital Economy (ACCED).
On 2 February, DSI participated at the
ACCED meeting in Manila, where it presented the proposed ASEAN Roadmap to MLETR
to the ASEAN Member States under the Open Trade Pillar of the ASEAN-UK Economic
Integration Program funded by the UK Government and implemented by the Cadmus
group. The proposed Roadmap sets out a practical implementation framework to
remove legal barriers to digitalise trade, supporting ASEAN Member States in
adopting the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR).
ICC Compact for Trade, Growth and Jobs: From Paper to Digital Trade. The ICC Compact for Trade, Growth and Jobs reinforces a clear message from business: trade digitalisation is no longer optional and must move into implementation. At the border, the Compact explicitly calls for a global shift away from paper-based processes through the adoption and implementation of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR), supported by interoperable Single Window systems. This mirrors DSI’s core mandate - to turn digital trade commitments into operational reality by aligning legal frameworks, standardising trade data, and supporting governments and industry in deploying digital trade solutions such as eBLs. DSI’s ongoing country programmes and regional pilots directly support this transition from policy intent to executable digital trade infrastructure.
ICC Call for Action for MC14: Making Digital Trade Rules Work highlights digital trade as a priority area where rules have lagged behind practice. The Call urges WTO Members to safeguard the legal foundations of digital trade - particularly by maintaining the Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions - while advancing reforms that enable paperless trade, trusted data flows, and regulatory interoperability. This reinforces the need to focus not only on global commitments, but on domestic legal reform and implementation pathways that allow digital trade tools to be used with confidence across borders.
DSI at Commodity Trading Week APAC. At the recent conference held in Singapore, DSI contributed through high-level panels and a closed-door workshop focused on digital interoperability in commodities supply chains. Discussions highlighted how volatility, geopolitics and climate risks are reshaping commodity markets, and the growing importance of resilience, optionality and faster decision-making supported by digital tools. DSI also co-hosted a workshop with GAFTA examining practical approaches to interoperability across digitalising supply chains, alongside a trade finance session examining where digitalisation and AI are delivering measurable value today.
Kind Regards,
The ICC Digital Standards Initiative Team
Contact
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