Articles under "#data exchange" category

Issue: WCO News 97 – Issue 1 / 2022

Making digital collaboration possible: the WCO Data Model – latest developments and implementation guidance

In October 2021, the World Trade Organization (WTO) reported that despite COVID-related interruptions, container throughput in international ports remains at or near record levels

A fundamental requirement for successful communication between individuals is that they all speak the same language. This is also the case for communication between electronic systems. A common language is required to ensure that information flows seamlessly across different IT systems. In this...

Issue: WCO News 94 February 2021

Digitization of ATA Carnets: overview of the ICC pilot project

The ATA[1] Carnet is an international Customs document that permits duty-free and tax-free temporary admission of most goods for up to one year. It enables countries, businesses and border agencies to expedite the Customs process by utilizing unified, ready-to...

Going digital

The ATA Carnet is still today a paper-based document, although its digitization (turning the physical paper into an electronic file) and the digitalization o...

Issue: WCO News 94 February 2021

How digital tools can improve compliance with SPS measures

Given increasing concerns about food security and food safety and the need to fight hunger and eliminate food waste, a review of the current processes for implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement and adoption of ...

Many importing countries require a Sanitary/Phytosanitary Certificate which is an official document issued by a competent authority of the exporting country to the exporter. It certifies that the animals or plants, and their derived products, covered by the Certificate have been inspected and are...

Issue: WCO News 96 October 2021
Extending the ISO Audit Data Collection Standard to improve Customs and indirect tax audits and bring some innovation into this field

International Standard ISO[1] 21378:2019 aims to make data collection for financial audits more efficient and reliable. In this article, Dutch Customs explains the structure of this ISO Standard and why the Neth...

ADCS: the universal adapter for ERP systems

What auditors need is a universal adapter for ERP systems, just like we use an adapter to plug in electronic devices when we are in a country that uses a ...

Issue: WCO News 97 – Issue 1 / 2022
Trade digitization on a global scale: how far are we?

One positive outcome from the COVID-19 pandemic was the boost in the digitization of interactions and operations in many sectors of society. Digitization is a relatively easy concept to understand. It is the process of converting information into a digital format, in other words, bits and bytes. ...

The challenges behind limited adoption

There are several reasons behind the current situation:

The lack of coordination of digitization efforts has resulted in multiple “digital islands”, each with its own set of standard...

Issue: WCO News 98 – Issue 2 / 2022
Protecting importers’ information while improving Customs controls

Customs administrations and trade operators both want to reduce the complexity of compiling and exchanging data. However, there can be tension between the Customs administration’s need to access data and the company’s need to protect confidential informatio...

SFML: developing analytical algorithms without exchanging data

As an example, let us consider the case of secure federated machine learning (SFML),[1] a machine-learning technique that...

Vietnam Customs use case

In Vietnam, material used for export production can be imported duty-free. Material import and consumption are controlled by the General Departmen...

Issue: WCO News 94 February 2021
TradeTrust: accelerating the digitalization of international trade

Singapore is spearheading the implementation of TradeTrust, which is a framework comprised of a set of globally accepted standards to facilitate the digitalization of documents used in international trade and logistics and their interoperability, and also a set of ...

For example, the Bill of Lading (BL)[1] is still provided in hardcopy in many countries, creating inefficiencies. It requires time and money to courier the BL document to destination ports of discharge, plus there are risks of the BL getting lost in transit, w...

Issue: WCO News 94 February 2021
Improving data sharing with blockchain

Towards a digital transformation

COVID-19 has put immense pressure on traders and supply-chain managers and has highlighted the need for more traceability and visibility in trade transactions, and for more interoperability in IT systems,...

How it works

As soon as a company AEO certification is approved, a Customs officer in country A uploads information on that company to CADENA. The applicati...

Issue: WCO News 93 October 2020
Maqta Gateway: Digitizing and transforming trade

Abu Dhabi is leading the region’s digital transformation drive with a view to moving all of the emirate’s trade online during 2021

Although the maritime transport industry handles 90%[1] of global trad...

Five years on, and after spending so long behind the technology curve, many of the world’s leading maritime players are now embracing a bold new era of digital innovation, and none more so than in the Arabian Peninsula, ...

Issue: WCO News 91 February 2020
Customs partners with express carriers to fight illicit trade in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Customs’ enforcement strategy is multi-pronged. The administration attaches equal importance to developing efficient enforcement tactics, educating the public and engaging with it, maintaining close collaboration with its overseas enforcement counterpar...

Memoranda of Understanding

After some discussions, in March 2015, Hong Kong Customs signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with five major express courier operators, namely DHL Express (Hong Kong) Limited, Federal Expre...

Issue: WCO News 92 June 2020
Leaning forward: Singapore leverages digital data to help financial institutions augment trade finance compliance

Singapore Customs launched a Trade Finance Compliance Service on the country’s Networked Trade Platform to augment trade finance compliance efforts against money laundering and terrorist financing.

Banks and financial institutions offer multiple sol...

Trade finance and trade-based money laundering

As part of their money laundering related monitoring and reporting obligations, banks and other financial institutions have to assess whether these trade transactions are leg...

Issue: WCO News 97 – Issue 1 / 2022
Tackling Customs Compliance in DHL Express

E-commerce continues to grow, as well as the number of parcels moving across borders. The challenges to ensure the regulatory compliance of such transactions have been addressed many times in the pages of this magazine. In this article, we would like to provide an ...

A new programme

In addition to these proactive checks and to strengthen them, DHL Express is launching the Global Customs Compliance Programme, with the goal of further improving shipment integrity and commercial...

Issue: WCO News 97 – Issue 1 / 2022
Blockchain document transfer: understanding the technology and its uses

According to research, a single container shipment can generate up to 200 communications, and the administrative cost of processing the accompanying documentation is estimated to be 15‑20% of the overall cost of transporting the goods. It is therefore essential to find easier, more efficient w...

Existing model

Blockchain can help digitize the shipping industry, where ownership, traceability and security are paramount. A current processing model used by a Customs administration to receive and process advance cargo information (ACI...