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ICC and WTO release toolkit for cross-border paperless trade

18/03/2022

This toolkit, developed by ICC and the World Trade Organization, is designed to help companies and government agencies adopt available standards to accelerate the digitalization of trade processes. 

It has been developed as part of the ICC’s Digital Standards initiative to provide the international trade community with, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of existing digital trade standards that can be used to facilitate trusted, real-time supply chain collaboration and real-time data exchange.

The toolkit identifies close to 100 available standards, frameworks and initiatives that offer the potential to enable all parties in global supply chains to speak the same, universal language – regardless of the tools used to automate processes – by leveraging a core set of standardised trade-related document and data formats.

The report maps a range of foundational standards for adoption by all participants in global trade – such as country codes to legal entity identifier standards – while also incorporating starting toolkits for various types of supply chain actors, from logistics operators to customs authorities.

The toolkit can be downloaded here


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Latest Question

ISBP 821 PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS paragraph (viii) states: A request to insert the credit number on a document is usually at the instigation of the issuing bank in order to facilitate the collation of documents should one or more documents become detached from the presentation. Provided all the stipulated documents are received by the issuing bank, the absence of a credit number or the mistyping of that number on a document does not constitute a reason for refusal. The exception to this position is where it is a requirement of the importing country that the credit number be stated on one or more documents. In such circumstances, the credit must clearly indicate that this is the reason for the number to be shown on that or those documents. Question: In my opinion, where the credit ONLY calls for “All documents must show the credit number”, which is at the instigation of the issuing bank in order to facilitate the collation of documents, the above texts apply. When the credit stipulates the following clauses, which is not at the instigation of the issuing bank in order to facilitate the collation of documents, the above texts do not apply: 1. “All documents must show the issuing bank’s name, credit number and issuance date”; 2. “All documents must show the credit number and issuance date” 3. “All documents must show the credit number except the cert of analysis”; 4. “The cert of analysis must not show the credit number except other documents”; 5. “The cert of analysis must show the credit number”; 6. “All documents must not show the credit number”; 7. “All documents must show the credit number at the request of the applicant”; 8. “All documents must show the credit number for the reason: XXXXXX”. Please confirm.