A Mark of Global Recognition: TradeTrust Features in WCO Newsletter
23 June 2025
We’re proud to share that TradeTrust was recently featured in the June 2025 issue of the World Customs Organization (WCO) News magazine, a respected international publication read widely by Customs administrations, policymakers, and trade industry stakeholders.
This article, titled “Scaling Digital Trade: TradeTrust’s Journey Since 2021,” charts the progress TradeTrust has made over the past few years - from concept to execution, from pilot trials to powering live, legally sound, and interoperable trade and trade finance transactions across borders.
From Pilots to Production: A Look Back at 2021
TradeTrust was first featured in WCO News back in February 2021, where the article introduced the framework’s foundational vision: to tackle fragmentation in digital trade by providing a set of globally accepted standards, legal frameworks, and open-source software. At that point, TradeTrust was in its early stages, with trials focused on enabling verifiable electronic documents and exploring legal harmonisation under the United Nations Commission On International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR)..
2025 Feature: A Testament to Real-World Impact
Fast forward to 2025, this latest WCO feature reflects just how far TradeTrust has come. No longer just a promising idea, TradeTrust has matured into a trusted digital infrastructure used in live, cross-border transactions - enabling both technical interoperability and legal enforceability of digital trade documents such us electronic Bills of Lading (eBLs) and electronic Certificates of Origin (eCOs).
Key Takeaways from the Article:
The release of the TradeTrust Model Terms, a standardised legal framework for electronic Bills of Lading (eBLs) to support cross-platform enforceability and liability clarity.
Implementation of TradeTrust-enabled workflows in live transactions across Singapore, China, and India, including full end-to-end digital trade and trade finance processes
Integration of TradeTrust into commercial platforms like GUUD’s e-certificate and trade finance systems, streamlining eCO and eBL handling
Recent recognition of TradeTrust as a Digital Public Good - underscoring its position as a trusted, neutral infrastructure for digital trade
This feature affirms growing international support for MLETR-aligned, open-source infrastructure that enables trusted, cross-border exchange of trade documents and sets the foundation for a more efficient and inclusive global trade system.
Read the full article here.