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ICC Digital Standards Initiative

Newsletter | November 2025

Dear colleagues, members and partners,

This month we turn the spotlight on digital trade transformation - from practical tools for paperless trade pilots to legal and regulatory developments enabling seamless cross-border commerce. We also bid farewell to Hannah Nguyen, whose leadership brought DSI to where it is today, and warmly welcome Rae Amarullah, who joins as our Director of Industry and Supply Chain. More details below.

As always, if you received this newsletter indirectly and wish to subscribe, click here to be added to our mailing list.

Standards

Accelerating Paperless Trade: Practical Guide now available. With support from Singapore’s IMDA and the Mining and Metals Digitalization Forum (MMDF), we have launched the DSI Paperless Trade Pilot Playbook, which guides enterprises on the design, execution and capturing gains from pilots in digital trade. This is part of our efforts to drive adoption of digital trade practices, and draws on Singapore’s and MMDF’s extensive experience in the field. See the press release here and the playbook for download here.

The pilot playbook is one of the key inputs to the coming launch of the DSI Global Digital Trade Sandbox which provides a safe, ready-made environment for piloting digital trade and supply chain processes worldwide. Drawing on the communities fostered by ICC National Committees and chambers globally, the Sandbox aims to simplify and ease the onboarding of interested companies to digital trade pilots and proofs of concept, with guidance on standards, interoperability and legal frameworks. In doing so, we aim to seed future digital trade corridors and build confidence amongst policymakers and regulators. Stay tuned for more information in December.

Free Zones as Catalysts for Digital Trade Transformation Playbook (abridged version) was launched at the World Free Zones Organization (WFZO) Annual Congress in Hainan on 10 October 2025. Co-developed with the WFZO, the guide shows how free zones could catalyse the adoption of digital trade processes and support MLETR-aligned legal reforms. It features a case study of the Abu Dhabi Global Market and tools to help free zones lead the next wave of trade digitalisation. The full Playbook will be available for download on DSI website soon!

The ICC Trade Register 2025 affirms once again that trade finance is a low-risk asset class an that digitalisation is helping to make it more efficient. The Trade Register 2025, under the Chairmanship of Samuel Mathews of Standard Chartered Bank, analyses 47 million transactions worth USD 23 trillion, about 13% of global trade finance flows, in assessing the risk of trade finance. Over 90% of the banks surveyed reported continued investments in digital platforms, though interoperability remains key to unlocking digital trade. Find out more here.

Digital Trade Readiness Assessment. The Working Group has put together an initial framework for the Assessment, designed to help companies gauge their preparedness for digital trade. The framework comprises over 60 questions covering management systems,

data handling, and cybersecurity, each answered on a three-point scale of maturity. While final reviews for consistency and subject matter take place, we invite organisations who perform any function that handles trade documentation along the supply chain to pilot the assessment. More details about the pilot will be shared in December 2025. We would like to thank the group leaders (in alphabetical order): Tim Bouma (Digital Governance Council), Craig Moss (Digital Supply Chain Institute), Hannah Nguyen (DSI), David Saive (ICC Germany), Piotr Cichoki (Secro) and Saloi Benbaha (XDC) for their contributions thus far.

Recent ICC publications for download:

DSI Paperless Trade Pilot Playbook

ICC Trade Register 2025

Coming soon!

IPCSA Annual Meeting. DSI was privileged to present our digitalisation vision to the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA) annual meeting which took place in partnership with Dubai Trade at the DP World Expo at the end of October. The IPCSA, which sits on both the DSI Industry Advisory Board and the Legal Reform Advisory Board, is a members-driven organisation with over 55 sea and air port community systems operators, authorities and Single Windows worldwide. It is currently undergoing a foresight exercise which is designed to aid members in preparing for the future based on emerging trends such as geopolitics, regulatory changes, and technological advancements, while also addressing challenges like the burden of legacy systems. The IPCSA intends to release the final Foresight report in the spring of 2026. Find out more here or directly from the IPCSA leads Nico de Cauwer and Inga Morton.

Legal

China advances maritime digitalisation. China has taken a major step towards full digital trade with its revised Maritime Law, taking effect on 1 May 2026. The new law gives full legal recognition to electronic transport records, aligning China’s maritime framework with the principles of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR). This paves the way for electronic bills of lading and other digital commercial documents across the shipping sector. Building on a July directive for all Free Trade Zones to adopt MLETR-style frameworks, with Shanghai Port already piloting implementation since January 2024, China is modernising trade infrastructure, improving efficiency, and boosting cross-border interoperability – signalling growing momentum for a trusted global digital trade ecosystem.

EBRD highlights Morocco’s digital trade journey. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), member of the ICC DSI Legal Reform Advisory Board, profiled Morocco’s digital trade reforms in its Law in Transition 2025 Report. The case shows how strong coordinated policy, legislation, and industry engagement can accelerate digital adoption. Morocco’s roadmap focuses on enabling laws, pilot projects, and capacity building – offering a model for other economies going paperless. The report underscores the role of development institutions in accelerating legal interoperability and digital readiness across emerging markets. Read the full publication here.

Other DSI Updates

Farewell and Welcome. We bid farewell to Hannah Nguyen, Director of Digital Ecosystems, who concluded her journey with DSI this November, and thank her for her work fostering collaboration and alignment across sectors since 2021. Hannah said, “Over the past four and a half years, I’ve witnessed how a small, passionate team can accelerate trade digitalisation on a global scale. What began as a mission to make trade digital became, for me, a journey of connecting people, amplifying efforts and proving that real progress happens when collaboration leads the way.”

We are delighted to welcome Rae Amarullah, Director of Industry and Supply Chain, bringing over 20 years of global experience in transformation and supply chain strategy. Rae will lead key digitalisation efforts with strong focus on industry adoption.

"Having spent years driving supply chain transformation - from process redesign to digitalisation - one question continues to guide me: how do we truly connect systems and practices to realise the promise of digital trade? I’m inspired by the strong foundation already in place and look forward to working with the community to bring this next chapter to life, one pilot and process at a time."

Rae Amarullah

Director of Industry and Supply Chain

Two centimetres of paper - or roughly is the thickness of the paper stack required to move a grain commodity shipment from China to Europe. In her GAFTA Magazine article, Pamela Mar, ICC DSI Managing Director, explains how standards and interoperability could replace paper with seamless data flow, making trade faster, smarter, and more sustainable. Read how the agricultural sector can lead the digital trade revolution. Full article here.

MLETR Foundations – Limited-Time Offer! Sign up by 20 November to receive a +70% discount, bringing the MLETR Foundations course down to just US$25. Act quickly or share it with anyone in your network who’s keen to learn more about MLETR and digital trade. Sign up now!

Upcoming Events

FIT Alliance Webinar, 27 November. The webinar, "Unlocking Digital Trade:eBL Interoperability for Container Shipping", features Flavia Buso, Production Owner for Digital Trade at DCSA. She will explain how interoperability drives adoption of electronic Bills of Lading (eBLs), making trade faster, safer and scalable across global supply chains. Register here.

The 6th UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit to Spotlight Digital Economy and Legal Innovation will take place during Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 in December, with the theme “Linking Laws, Bridging Worlds.” This year’s programme will focus on developments shaping cross-border commerce and judicial practice, such as electronic transferable records, negotiable cargo documents, virtual assets, digital identity, and the role of artificial intelligence in dispute resolution and court systems. For more information, please click here.

Kind Regards,

The ICC Digital Standards Initiative team

Pamela Mar

Managing Director

pamela.mar@iccwbo.org

Rae Amarullah

Director, Industry and Supply Chain

rae.amarullah@iccwbo.org

Tianmi Stilphen

Lead, Legal Reform and Regulatory Affairs

stilphen.tianmi@iccwbo.org

Contact

33-43 avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris, France

www.iccwbo.org

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