Disruption has always been a part of global trade, but over the past decade, this has evolved into frequent volatility. Geopolitical realignments, regulatory fragmentation, shifting tariffs and climate shocks have made volatility a permanent state in which to manage. Only in October 2025, a landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions that many thought would pass was abandoned following threats of further tariffs against those who voted in favour. 

For corporate treasurers, the challenge has long been compounded by how trade is wired. Paper legacies and data silos keep vital information fragmented even as digital tools proliferate. That, however, is starting to change. Commitments from global shipping carriers to adopt electronic bills of lading (eBLs), as well as usage of blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) in global trade, are rebuilding this information fabric. Organisations that move first to harness it will unlock sharper forecasts, tighter working capital and a more resilient footing.

Make faster and better decisions with less certainty 

Corporate treasurers exposed to global trade today face a simple but substantial challenge. They’re being asked to make faster decisions yet with less certainty. While digital tools exist, the underlying data relating to the movement of goods around the world is fragmented, late and often unreliable. The problem isn’t volatility so much as opacity.

Today, 96% of trade documentation is still on paper. Despite advances elsewhere, shipping continues to run on manual workflows and paper instruments, leaving cargo visibility patchy and processes disconnected. That includes the bill of lading, the legal title document at the heart of every shipment, as well as letters of credit (LC), which still move through sequential, hard-to-monitor steps. The result is decisions on credit, cash flow and counterparty risk are too often made on incomplete, retrospective data.

That lag has real financial consequences. When goods are in transit and financial data is delayed or incomplete, treasury is effectively flying blind, confirming cash positions only after clearance, or discovering exposures only after they bite. 

The game is changing 

The convergence of rising eBL adoption, blockchain-backed trust, internet of things-enabled (IoT) visibility and AI is reshaping how information moves through supply chains, paving the way for trade intelligence in its wake. Thus interpreting, in real time, the interplay between goods, documents and financial flows for better decision making. 

eBLs are the foundation. Historically, maritime law privileged paper originals. The UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR), together with blockchain-enabled infrastructure, has helped to establish functional equivalence for electronic documents. Meanwhile, emerging global standards (e.g., ISO 5909) promise further clarity and interoperability. On this basis, jurisdictions including Singapore, the UK, and France now recognise eBLs, and Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) carriers have committed to full eBL adoption by 2030.

But to create new value, the eBL should not be seen as a digital copy, but rather a “data container”. In other words, a digital anchor representing the physical shipment and, under managed rights access, ties to adjacent rails in finance, payments, risk, and compliance. 

IoT provides the verified state changes those rails need, such as time-stamped location, temperature, shock and geofence events that confirm custody, condition and progress. With trusted telemetry linked to eBL milestones (“on board”, discharge, out-gate), banks and insurers can act on evidence. This could pave the way for milestone-based settlement, in-transit financing, dynamic terms, faster endorsements, and cleaner claims. The path to new models becomes, as a result, clearer on the basis that it is priced on actual changes to the goods’ position..

Trade AI: Treasury’s best asset?

The picture becomes interesting when you add AI, where predictive insights as to the impact of state changes could improve operations. 

Consider TCL Corporation, one of the world’s largest TV manufacturers. In June 2025, it onboarded a solution to track over 50,000 containers globally on a platform that blends IoT visibility with an AI-driven Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) alert system. This empowers the company with real-time high-precision shipment data to improve visibility, agility and the ability to respond to potential supply chain disruptions. 

What often starts as logistics tools within organisations are increasingly being harnessed in broader financial and strategic planning, helping treasury functions in organisations like TCL manage exposure and build greater resilience. In predictable markets, treasury excellence meant balance sheet strength and cheap funding. But in a world of increasingly complex and volatile supply chains, the edge comes from greater predictability. 

Greater resilience equals better terms 

The implications for financial institutions are equally significant. Riding on the trend of trade intelligence, banks and insurers are already exploring how to incorporate these insights into credit models and risk pricing. 

Corporates able to demonstrate end-to-end visibility across their trade networks may be rewarded not because their cost structures are inherently lower, but because they are more resilient and therefore less risky. 

The growing convergence of eBL with frontier technologies is fast creating that sightline by linking data relating to goods, documents and capital. The result is a shift from reconciling after the fact to orchestrating liquidity in the moment.