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Digital Trade in Africa: Beyond Infrastructure Towards a Functional Digital Economy
Africa’s digital economy is entering a decisive phase. With the adoption of the Digital Trade Protocol under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the continent has taken a major step toward building a unified digital market. Yet, despite strong political momentum, Africa remains a marginal player in global digital… Read more
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From Regulation to Trade Power: Why the EU Must Export Its Digital Rules
The European Union has quietly built one of the world’s most advanced digital regulatory ecosystems. With instruments such as the Digital Product Passport (DPP), electronic Freight Transport Information (eFTI), and eIDAS 2.0, the EU is shaping how data, trust, and compliance function within its internal market. Yet beyond its borders,… Read more
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ISO 20022 Harmonisation as the Backbone of Digital Trade and Logistics Integration
The digital transformation of international trade is accelerating, yet a fundamental bottleneck persists: the fragmentation of payment systems. The study “Fostering ISO 20022 Harmonisation: Cross-border payments interoperability and extension (PIE) task force – Task Team 3, Follow-up report (February 2026)” highlights that while ISO 20022 has been widely adopted, its… Read more
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Inside UNCITRAL’s Push for Digital Payments and Paperless Trade
As global trade becomes increasingly digital, legal systems are racing to keep up. Payments are faster, documents are electronic, and supply chains span jurisdictions with very different rules. Against this backdrop, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) has quietly launched a set of processes that could shape… Read more
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To Policy Makers: Governing Distributed Ledger Technology in Trade
Digital trade is evolving rapidly, and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) is increasingly presented as a solution for improving transparency, efficiency, and trust in commercial transactions. From trade documents and supply chains to payments and digital assets, DLT is often promoted as a transformative infrastructure for modern trade systems. However, technology… Read more
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United Nations Adopts New Convention Enabling Digital and Flexible Use of Cargo Documents
In December 2025, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents (NCDs), developed under the auspices of UNCITRAL and finalized in July 2025. The Convention represents a significant step forward in simplifying and digitalising international trade by extending the use of negotiable transport documents… Read more
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A New Framework for Digital Trade: The Digital Trade Promotion Act of 2025
The Digital Trade Promotion Act of 2025, currently under consideration in the United States Congress, establishes a comprehensive legal framework authorizing the President to negotiate and conclude standalone digital trade agreements with trusted partners. The bill reflects a clear strategic objective: to shape global digital economy rules, strengthen U.S. competitiveness,… Read more
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India Introduces the 2025 Digital Personal Data Protection Rules: A New Era for Data Governance
India has formally adopted the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025, a comprehensive set of regulations implementing the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. The rules mark a significant transformation of India’s digital governance framework, establishing detailed procedures for consent, data retention, breach notification, children’s data protections, and the… Read more
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Next-Generation Trade Corridors: How Digital Trade Superhighways Are Taking Shape
The global trading system stands at a crossroads. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC United Kingdom) has published its 2025 report “Next-generation trade corridors — Building digital trade superhighways”, calling on governments and businesses to modernise the world’s trade corridors, making them faster, cheaper, and more sustainable. The report outlines… Read more
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The Real Barrier to Digital Trade Is Not Technology — It’s Trust
In 2025, most international trade flows still rely on paper documents, even though the technological and legal solutions for paperless trade already exist. The real barrier is no longer technology — it is trust and coordinated implementation. Digital trade facilitation is rapidly becoming one of the most important directions of… Read more