Turning border complexity into global opportunity at FIATA World Congress 2025

From October 6–10, the 2025 FIATA World Congress brought together government authorities, freight associations, technology experts, and logistics leaders in Hanoi to address some of the industry’s biggest challenges. Discussions focused on strengthening supply chain resilience, the growing influence of ecommerce, and the technologies shaping the next era of global trade.

I was invited to participate in the session “Cross-Border e-Commerce Logistics: Trends and Optimisation Solutions,” where I was joined by speakers from BoxC, Alibaba, the Universal Postal Union, and Vietnam’s E-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency to explore how operational, regulatory, and digital forces are reshaping international trade.

Together we discussed what it takes to make cross-border ecommerce work, from navigating regulatory complexity to improving visibility and collaboration across global supply chains.

Building smarter pathways for global ecommerce

During the panel, I was asked ‘if you had to share one key number that captures the challenge or opportunity in cross-border e-commerce logistics, what would it be?’

My answer was simple: 193. 

That’s the number of member countries recognized by the United Nations and, in many ways, the number that defines the scale of our challenge.

Each of those 193 countries represents a unique customs system, legislative framework, and set of documentary, tax, and regulatory requirements. For those of us working in global logistics, that means 193 different borders to navigate, rules to interpret, and systems to integrate. Yet, it also represents 193 opportunities to streamline, digitize, and build a more connected foundation for global trade.

The challenge is enormous, but so is the reward. A world where technology closes the gaps between countries, systems, and people so that global trade finally moves as one.

Turning risk gates into trade enablers 

At CargoWise, we’re building a future where customs processes aren’t barriers to trade, but bridges that connect it. Where a digitally enabled customs corridor allows data to move securely and instantly.

Through automation and advanced data validation, information can be verified across multiple sources, from manufacturer invoices to carrier manifests, helping to identify potential risks early and clear goods with greater accuracy and speed.

In this model, customs systems act as both risk control gates and trade facilitators, supporting compliant trade to move quickly while maintaining strong oversight. Achieving that balance requires collaboration between governments, industry, and technology providers working toward the same goal: smarter, faster, more connected supply chains.

We’re already seeing what this looks like in practice. In Australia and New Zealand, we’ve partnered with government agencies to digitize critical customs processes, from Certificates of Origin to tariff management. These systems replace slow, paper-based workflows with secure, digital processing that gives exporters faster turnaround times and customs authorities greater visibility and control.

Together, they show how collaboration and technology can make trade faster, more transparent, and more resilient.

Synchronizing the systems behind global trade

When discussing multimodal logistics, it’s important to recognize that we’re talking about more than moving goods across air, land, sea, and post. Every shipment runs on three interconnected layers:

1. The physical, where goods move. 
2. The digital, where data flows. 
3. The financial, where payments and settlements take place. 

True integration only occurs when all three are aligned.

The physical keeps goods consolidated, tracked, and moving efficiently across transport modes. The digital connects the systems behind those movements, replacing manual updates with automation that improves speed, visibility, and accuracy. And the financial keeps everything in step, linking invoices, declarations, and settlements so goods, data, and funds flow together with consistency and confidence.

That connection is what keeps goods, data, and value moving as one.

Reverse logistics: shared responsibility, shared value 

Returns remain one of the costliest aspects of ecommerce logistics, often representing 20–30% of shipments globally. A common question is who should bear responsibility for making reverse logistics viable: Technologists, logistics providers, or regulators? 

The focus shouldn’t be on who owns the problem, but how we solve it together.

Technologists need to make returns simple for consumers and transparent for retailers. Logistics providers need to manage the physical return efficiently, keeping goods moving and recoverable. And regulators need to make cross-border procedures and refund mechanisms less complex and more consistent.

When these three pieces come together, returns stop being a drain on profit and start creating value, reducing waste, improving customer satisfaction, and driving profitability across the chain. 

Shaping the future of intelligent logistics

Technology is reshaping the logistics landscape, but success requires logistics leaders to apply it with purpose.

Right now, SaaS is delivering the biggest returns. It gives business of all sizes access to enterprise-grade capability without the cost or complexity of building it themselves - enabling them to compete globally and focus on core strengths. 

The next shift is already unfolding, with AI positioned to be the next major driver of measurable returns. At CargoWise, AI is being explored to further streamline operational processes, applying intelligence to tasks that benefit from speed, consistency, and precision.

Imagine AI tools that can support activities like import customs processing, reading documents, validating data, and reducing repetitive work - all while keeping human expertise in control where it matters most. This kind of augmentation, not replacement, is what will define the next leap in logistics productivity and scalability.

Looking ahead to 2030: building an inclusive future for global trade and logistics

The path to a more inclusive, efficient, and transparent global trade system depends on shared standards - for processes, documentation, data, and compliance.

Industry bodies like FIATA play a key role in bringing the sector together, but lasting progress relies on how governments, technology providers, and logistics operators work to put those standards into practice.

Global trade and logistics will always be complex, but it doesn’t have to be disconnected. The opportunity lies in systems that make collaboration possible and progress inevitable.