TradeTrust Newsletter January 2026
Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex) is a digital utility designed to streamline supply chain information flows through a secure, common data highway.
With IGP&I’s deemed approval for SGTraDex recently, how do you see this strengthening trust and interoperability across the trade ecosystem, and what new opportunities does it unlock for digital trade?
"The approval from IGP&I for our Electronic Bills of Lading (eBL) solution is an important milestone for SGTraDex. By ensuring our eBLs carry the same legal and insurance “weight” as paper-based documents, we have effectively bridged the “insurance gap” that has long hindered the adoption of digital trade.
Navigating the rigorous IGP&I approval process was a rewarding challenge that allowed us to stress-test our infrastructure against global standards. This wasn’t just about technical compliance; it was about ensuring our digital highway is robust enough for international waters. This validation strengthens trust across the ecosystem, signalling to global shipping lines and financial institutions that SGTraDex is a secure, interoperable partner.
We are now positioned to scale rapidly, transforming eBLs from a niche alternative into the industry standard, significantly reducing the world’s reliance on paper-based trade documents."
From your perspective, what role does SGTraDex play in accelerating trade digitalisation, and how can TradeTrust and SGTraDex work together to drive greater adoption across industries?
"The best analogy for our role in digital trade is to see SGTraDex as a data exchange “highway” and TradeTrust as the “traffic rules” that dictates how traffic moves. While TradeTrust provides the legal and technical framework based on UNCITRAL MLETR standards, SGTraDex provides the neutral, secure infrastructure for the end-to-end exchange of these digital assets.
We are not just talking about potential use cases but delivering real-world impact. Our recent collaboration with TradeTrust netted us Singapore Business Federation’s Pro-Enterprise Impact & Partnership Award. With the launch of the world’s first live interoperable digital “Documents against Payment” (D/P) solution, we demonstrated that our highway works across borders and diverse digital infrastructures.
The results were tangible: reduced shipment to payment cycle from 20 days to just 5 days, cut documentation handling time by 60% and helped banks reduce document circulation costs by 30%. For our customers, this isn’t just about a new feature but also being part of a proven, award-winning partnership that has levelled the playing field and is now scaling into new territories."
TradeTrust Appreciation Day 2026 is back! This is an opportunity to connect, learn, and shape the future of digital trade. This year’s theme, Interoperability, highlights how TradeTrust enables seamless cross-platform electronic Bills of Lading (eBLs) exchange, helping carriers, banks, digital trade platforms, and regulators collaborate more efficiently and securely.
Join us in person or via our exclusive livestream to experience:
-
Insights from industry leaders
-
Business and tech tracks exploring practical insights on eBL adoption
-
Interoperability demo showing TradeTrust-enabled platforms in action
-
Recognition of partners advancing digital trade through the TradeTrust Partner Awards
Secure your spot today!
Check out the highlights from TradeTrust Appreciation Day 2025!
In December, the first episode of Watson Farley & Williams’ Beyond the Bridge Shipowners webinar series brought together industry experts to discuss the latest developments in electronic Bills of Lading (eBLs). The session explored key challenges around interoperability and reliability, highlighting how digital trade documents are evolving to meet both technical and legal requirements.
Topics covered included:
-
Technical and legal challenges in implementing eBLs across multiple platforms
-
Reliability requirements introduced by Singapore’s Electronic Trade Documents Act (ETDA)
-
Cybersecurity standards for digital trade platforms
-
The role of government and independent audits in ensuring compliance with legal frameworks and industry standards
Ren Yuh Kay, Assistant Director at IMDA and part of the TradeTrust team, shared insights on how decentralised interoperability can give carriers confidence in managing eBLs across different platforms. As he explained:
Under the decentralised model, a carrier can rest assured that the eBL obligations are the very same as what has been surrendered back to it, since the carrier can rely on the very same file it had created to confirm that it has back control of the eBL title.
For a deeper dive into the webinar and TradeTrust’s role in advancing eBL adoption,
|
|
|---|
The International Chamber of Commerce Digital Standards Initiative (ICC DSI), together with IMDA, has published Part 2 of its thought leadership series on electronic Bill of Lading (eBL) interoperability — “Break the eBL silos: TradeTrust creates the open highway for global trade interoperability.”
Building on Part 1, which examined why eBL adoption has stalled due to closed platform ecosystems, this edition explores how decentralised interoperability can unlock scale by allowing platforms to interoperate while maintaining legal reliability, data integrity and operational autonomy. The article outlines the technical, legal and governance foundations needed to move from siloed networks to open, cross-platform digital trade infrastructure.
It also highlights how TradeTrust’s framework supports this transition — enabling trusted document exchange whilst ensuring exclusive control over title ownership transfers for electronic transferable records, such as TradeTrust-eBLs, across different systems in full compliance with international legal standards.
About TradeTrust
|
|
|---|