The Digital Securities Sandbox (DSS) facilitates the use of developing technology such as distributed ledgers in the issuance, trading and settlement of securities in the UK. The DSS is a regulated live environment that has been created to explore how developing technologies could be used by firms to undertake the activities of notary, maintenance and settlement for financial securities either Read more
This newsletter focuses into digital trade, particularly highlighting critical issues from Africa’s perspective, such as data governance and the AfCFTA. tralac also explore the forefront technology of artificial intelligence (AI), along with digital governance and digital inclusion. For African countries, the most recent report from 2023 indicates a varied landscape of internet inclusivity. South Africa Read more
On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, Brazil and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate Brazil’s single foreign trade portal with its Chinese counterpart. This initiative aims to enhance the flexibility, security, and efficiency of foreign trade operations between the two nations. The agreement aims to achieve interoperability between systems by allowing them to Read more
Today, the International Trade Administration (ITA) announced a series of new initiatives to advance U.S. competitiveness and trade in the digital economy. These initiatives will support policy advocacy in international engagements, provide tailored resources for U.S. businesses to leverage, and equip ITA’s digital attachés with applied experience to empower them to be stronger advocates for U.S. commercial Read more
Discover ‘The State of the Industry 2024 – Insights on Digital Evolution in Container Shipping’ report, a milestone in the industry’s digital transformation journey. This comprehensive study explores the progress made, the challenges faced, and the role of standards in driving change. Through insights from 400 senior decision-makers and 35 in-depth interviews, the report provides a Read more
On 16 September 2024, high-level officials of the European Union and United States met to review how work has progressed under the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) since the ministerial meeting of April 2024 in Leuven, Belgium. The two sides took stock of the progress on joint work under way in various TTC working Read more
The UK – Southeast Asia Trade Digitalisation Pilots (TDP) is a public-private funded project that has facilitated digitalised shipments between the UK, Singapore, and Thailand. The UK government appointed the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore, with support and co-funding from industry partner LogChain, to deliver the project. The TDP builds on the success of the first Read more
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is flagship project of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, a blueprint for attaining inclusive and sustainable development across the continent over the next 50 years. It aims to boost intra-African trade by providing a comprehensive and mutually beneficial trade agreement among the State Parties covering trade in goods and Read more
The Digital Standards Initiative (DSI) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is on a mission to digitalise global trade by addressing some of the biggest challenges facing governments, businesses and people today. Among the four challenges1we have identified, perhaps the steepest one is around standards for interoperability. With hundreds of electronic and digital standards Read more
With trade in goods valued at £1.7 trillion and services valued at £896 billion, trade matters to the economy. The UK has a unique opportunity to drive economic growth and improve productivity, by digitalising international trade, reducing bureaucracy, and leveraging the Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023 (ETDA). As the first G7 economy to remove legal Read more