The FIT Alliance is pleased to present our findings on the pace and status of electronic Bill of Lading (eBL) adoption globally, garnered from a survey undertaken in September and October 2024. The survey results give us many reasons to be optimistic that our coordinated efforts to drive legal reform, align standards, and build capacity in the private and public sector around the eBL, are starting to pay off.
Indeed, the two years since our last survey in 2022 has seen a flurry of activities on trade digitalisation generally. Often among the first parts of the supply chain to be digitalised, the eBL has become a cornerstone of broader trade modernization efforts. The global support for our eBL Declaration campaign—endorsed by over 230 entities and counting—demonstrates the growing consensus on the importance of eBL adoption to unlock the full potential of digital trade.
What’s next for the FIT Alliance? We will continue to pursue the target by building practical tools, educating across the industry, driving pilots and innovations, and pursuing the case for legal reform with government and key private sector stakeholders. The journey has reached a tipping point, and your active participation will be pivotal in ensuring continued momentum. Together, we can amplify our collective impact and bring about the systemic changes needed for a truly interoperable and standardized digital trade ecosystem.
For now, we would like to thank our survey partners, BCG (Boston Consulting Group) and the Li & Fung Supply Chain Institute at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, for their collaboration on the survey and the report in your hands.
We invite you to share your thoughts and join us in driving this important initiative forward. Please do not hesitate to contact any of the FIT Alliance members – BIMCO, DCSA, FIATA, ICC or Swift —or our survey partners, for further information or to explore opportunities for collaboration.
Signed
Grant Hunter, Chief Digital Officer, BIMCO
Thomas Bagge, Chief Executive Officer, DCSA
Stéphane Graber, Director General, FIATA
Pamela Mar, Managing Director, ICC Digital Standards Initiative
Avanee Gokhale, Global Lead, Trade Strategy, Swift
