New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) India has emerged as one of the frontrunners in trade digitalisation and is well positioned to advance towards seamless cross-border paperless trade, according to policymakers, industry leaders and trade experts.

The assessment emerged during a high-level session on India’s Trade Digitalisation: From Domestic to Cross-Border Integration at the Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum x Paperless Trade Week (APTFF x PTW) 2026 in Bangkok.

The event — which was organised by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and UN-ESCAP — focused on leveraging India’s digital trade infrastructure to strengthen regional integration and facilitate cross-border paperless trade.

In addition, participants noted that paperless trade has evolved from a trade facilitation tool into a strategic necessity amid geopolitical uncertainties, rising logistics costs and increasing compliance requirements.

India has already achieved full implementation of domestic paperless trade measures, while its performance in cross-border paperless trade has improved significantly over the past decade, the experts said.

Platforms such as ICEGATE, SWIFT, faceless customs assessment and the proposed BharatTradeNet were highlighted as examples of India’s growing digital trade capabilities and readiness for deeper regional interoperability.

During the event, ICRIER, RIS and the Centre for WTO Studies jointly released a policy brief titled “India’s Drive Towards Paperless Trade: Recent Developments and the Way Forward”.

The study concluded that India possesses much of the digital infrastructure and institutional framework required for accession to the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (CPTA), which could help reduce trade costs and strengthen regional integration.

Moreover, participants highlighted the importance of the proposed Trade Facilitation Bill, 2026, which is expected to provide legal recognition to electronic trade documents and align India’s regulatory framework with international standards.

Experts further stressed the need to improve interoperability with partner countries, undertake pilot projects on cross-border paperless trade, expand capacity-building initiatives and strengthen support for MSMEs through digital trade platforms and simplified compliance procedures.

–IANS

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