REPORT

April 1, 2026

April 1, 2026

Unlocking TradeTech Across Asia-Pacific: Insights from Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand

Over the past year, TradeTech has moved from pilot testing to real-world application across key UK trade corridors. Building on last year’s findings, this latest programme demonstrates how UK digital trade solutions are delivering measurable efficiency gains across Southeast Asia and Oceania.

The UK continues to lead in TradeTech innovation, combining a strong startup ecosystem, targeted investment, and deep expertise in digital trade policy. This positions UK companies to unlock efficiency, reliability, and growth for SMEs operating across international corridors.

Strong trade relationships with Asia-Pacific partners - including Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand - are critical. These markets are dynamic, fast-growing, and deeply embedded in global supply chains. Strengthening UK–APAC trade through TradeTech not only supports economic growth but also enhances market access, resilience, and competitiveness for UK businesses.

Commissioned by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), this programme tested UK TradeTech solutions in live trading environments across all four corridors. Working directly with SMEs, the pilots focused on one core question:

Can structured digital workflows reduce the cost, time, and complexity of cross-border trade?

Across every corridor, the answer is clear: yes.

What happens when TradeTech moves from pilots to real trade environments?

Across each corridor, UK TradeTech solutions replaced paper-based processes with structured, interoperable data flows.

Key participating companies included:
  • Spot Ship, an AI-powered maritime data platform that enables shipbrokers and charterers to convert unstructured market communications into structured, actionable insights.
  • Phlo Systems, a digital trade platform that integrates trading, logistics, documentation, and financial settlement into a single workflow through its OpsPhlo system, replacing fragmented email-based coordination.
  • Trade Harmonizer, a RegTech platform that acts as a digital infrastructure layer for cross-border compliance, automating and validating import processes while ensuring alignment between shipping data and customs requirements.
  • Boex, a digital trade platform that transforms commercial agreements into secure, legally enforceable digital transactions, reducing reliance on paper and manual processes.
Together, these solutions demonstrated consistent, repeatable outcomes:
  • Reduced administrative processing time and operational bottlenecks
  • Improved data accuracy and fewer errors across the trade lifecycle
  • Lower operational costs for SMEs
  • Faster and more reliable transaction execution


How does TradeTech perform across different trade corridors?

Each corridor presents unique characteristics, but all demonstrate the same underlying opportunity for TradeTech adoption:

Singapore

Advanced digital infrastructure and strong regulatory alignment enable SMEs to rapidly integrate interoperable systems and scale digital workflows.

Check out the report

Thailand

Digital adoption has the potential to unlock efficiency across high-volume, compliance-intensive supply chains.

Check out the report

Australia

Structured workflows are already delivering measurable SME savings and provide a clear benchmark for replication in other trade corridors.

Report coming soon...
Register your interest in the
Launch Webinar here!

New Zealand

TradeTech improves visibility, coordination, and efficiency across long-distance, multi-step supply chains.

Report coming soon...
Register your interest in the
Launch Webinar here!

Together, these corridors demonstrate how UK TradeTech can support the development of more efficient, reliable, and resilient trade networks across the Asia-Pacific region - strengthening bilateral trade relationships while driving SME competitiveness.

What is needed to scale TradeTech adoption?

While trade agreements provide a strong legal and regulatory foundation, these pilots highlight that operational implementation is where the real value is unlocked.

Scaling adoption will require:

  • Strong collaboration between governments, SMEs, and logistics providers
  • Interoperable digital standards and shared infrastructure
  • Targeted support and incentives to accelerate SME uptake
  • Continued investment in scalable TradeTech solutions

With these foundations in place, the opportunity is clear: early pilot success can translate into corridor-wide transformation, delivering tangible business outcomes for both UK and APAC partners.


Learn More

To explore these insights further or discuss TradeTech opportunities across these corridors, contact:

  • Zara Qadir (Project Lead, PUBLIC): zara.qadir@public.io
  • Germaine Dowling (FCDO): germaine.dowling@fcdo.gov.uk
  • Thomas Tilley (DBT): thomas.tilley2@fcdo.gov.uk

Partners

Our partner's logo

UK Government

Authors

Photo by the author

Zara Qadir

Senior Associate

Photo by the author

Ankita Nanda

Associate

Explore more insights

Stay in the loop!

Sign up to our monthly newsletter to get a snapshot of PUBLIC’s impact across the public sector, thought-leadership from our experts, and opportunities to get involved!