Who we are

A leading global commodities company

What we do

We connect the world with vital resources

Finance

See our financial performance

Careers

Discover our career opportunities

Sustainability

Our approach to sustainability

News & Insights

Read our latest news and insights
Leadership
Locations
Our strengths
Oil and petroleum products
Metals and minerals
Gas and power
Renewables and hydrogen
Carbon management
Shipping and marine logistics
Logistics and storage
Financial reports
Funding
Early-career opportunities
Global trading opportunities
Governance and conduct
Health, safety and security
Environment and climate
Responsible value chains
People and communities
Performance and engagement
Global grievance hotline Trafigura in brief Contact us

Follow us on

Press release

DBS and Trafigura collaborate with IMDA to launch open-sourced blockchain trade platform

Published on6 Nov 2019
  • Cuts end-to-end trade document transit time by more than half from 45 to 20 days

 

Singapore, 6 November 2019 – To leverage Singapore’s global trade connectivity[1], DBS Bank and Trafigura, in collaboration with Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Enterprise Singapore and tradetech Perlin, have come together to develop an open-sourced blockchain trade platform (ICC TradeFlow platform) to connect trade partners across borders and streamline manual paper-based trade processes to improve trade flows. The platform’s pilot trade of USD20 million worth of iron ore will be shipped from Africa to China this month.

 

Built on IMDA’s TradeTrust[2] network infrastructure and powered by Perlin’s blockchain technology, the platform is designed to be interoperable with existing and future digital trade platforms. This approach will enable companies based in digital harbours like Singapore to continue seamlessly trading with countries governed by traditional paper-based systems. All parties on the blockchain platform are also able to send, receive and act upon trade instructions in real-time, cutting the end-to-end trade document transit time by more than half from 45 to 20 days.

 

Tan Su Shan, Head of Institutional Banking, DBS Bank, said, “DBS is pleased to lead the industry and work with global industry anchors such as Trafigura to co-create digital solutions to make the age-old business of trade finance more efficient, transparent and productive. By tapping into each other’s respective expertise in commodities and finance, our customers will be able to receive their goods at least 50 percent faster with much less paperwork. Solutions like these are timely as they meet our customers’ demands for increased transaction speed and optimised financing to promote better cash flow and capital management.”

 

Tan Chin Hwee, Trafigura’s Asia-Pacific Chief Executive Officer, said, "This is a Singaporean take on how to successfully adopt global trade finance technology under the leadership of governmental stakeholders. ICC TradeFlow, a distributed ledger system, is the first to be powered by the TradeTrust network. We would particularly like to thank IMDA, Enterprise Singapore, DBS and Standard Chartered for their support and leadership on this initiative.”

 

Leveraging the success of this initial pilot, the partners will continue iterating and improving the ICC TradeFlow platform, with a vision for global adoption. As next steps, further enhancements will be made to the platform. These include offering trade finance on-the-go, as well as providing background information and credit ratings on trade participants, vessels and couriers to build trust among counterparties – with the aim of achieving a more seamless trade process.

 

John W.H. Denton AO, Secretary General of the ICC, said, “ICC TradeFlow is a transformative enterprise tool developed by our partner Perlin that we will champion for adoption internationally. With IMDA’s help and working with Trafigura and DBS, the ICC TradeFlow platform is uniquely placed to help gather the critical mass needed for a truly international and industry-wide shift from analog trade systems to digital ones. The technological, economic and governance-based precedents and standards set in Singapore will support adoption in other countries and ultimately greater growth in trade on a global scale.”

 

Dorjee Sun, Chief Executive Officer of Perlin, said, “We are certain that blockchain will help drive the digitalisation of trade and transfer of title electronically. This will revolutionise trade, commodities and related finance and Singapore is at the forefront. We built ICC TradeFlow as the first working enterprise tool powered by TradeTrust with the vital help of our partners such as DBS and Trafigura, and are excited to work with the ICC for global adoption.”

 

Mr Satvinder Singh, Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Singapore, said, “Home to a strong pool of international trading companies, Singapore is well-positioned to connect the industry players to innovations that can boost the overall efficiency of trade. Enterprise Singapore has been supportive of efforts in this aspect – from working with Perlin and ICC to establish the regional Centre of Future Trade in Singapore, to connecting them to partners such as DBS, Trafigura and IMDA to trial the use of blockchain for trade documentation. This partnership is a good start and we hope that it will encourage the business community to develop and pioneer new innovations that can reinforce Singapore’s position as a leading commodity trading hub.”

 

Enhancing trade in tandem with IMDA’s TradeTrust network

IMDA is spearheading the development of a globally trusted network, TradeTrust, for digital trade documentation exchange, and is working with various government agencies, including the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Enterprise Singapore, Singapore Customs, Government Technology Agency, and industry partners such as Singapore Shipping Association.

 

Conventional digitalisation efforts have given rise to increasingly fragmented digital ecosystems consisting of silo groups of user communities. TradeTrust works within this reality by enabling various enterprise and platform systems to effectively inter-operate. This will enable more seamless and efficient flow of goods between digitally inter-connected trading partners. This trusted network aims to reduce inefficiencies and complexities of cross-border trade arising from the current usage of paper-based documentation, such as bills of lading. This reduces operating costs for businesses, lowers risk of fraud and promotes more growth in trade.

 

Jane Lim, Assistant Chief Executive, IMDA, said, “In the area of trade, technologies such as blockchain can help market participants move beyond traditional manual, paper-based processes, streamlining their trade processes for higher efficiency and cost savings. TradeTrust aims to inter-connect different trade platforms between paper to digital. We are pleased that Trafigura and DBS have leveraged the TradeTrust prototype in the ICC TradeFlow platform, and we look forward to work with more market participants globally to incorporate TradeTrust into their systems.”

 

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACTS

DBS

 

Trafigura

 

Perlin

 

About DBS 
DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 18 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank's "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings are among the highest in the world.

 


Recognised for its global leadership, DBS has been named “World’s Best Bank” by Euromoney, “Global Bank of the Year” by The Banker and “Best Bank in the World” by Global Finance. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named “World’s Best Digital Bank” by Euromoney. In addition, DBS has been accorded the “Safest Bank in Asia” award by Global Finance for 11 consecutive years from 2009 to 2019.

 
DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets. DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, and positively impacting communities through supporting social enterprises, as it banks the Asian way. It has also established a SGD 50 million foundation to strengthen its corporate social responsibility efforts in Singapore and across Asia.



With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. The bank acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in all of our 27,000 staff, representing over 40 nationalities.

For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.

 

About Trafigura
Founded in 1993, Trafigura is one of the largest physical commodities trading groups in the world. Trafigura sources, stores, transports and delivers a range of raw materials (including oil and refined products and metals and minerals) to clients around the world. The trading business is supported by industrial and financial assets, including 49.3 percent owned global oil products storage and distribution company Puma Energy; global terminals, warehousing and logistics operator Impala Terminals; Trafigura's Mining Group; and Galena Asset Management. The Company is owned by around 700 of its 4,300 employees who work in 66 offices in 38 countries around the world. Trafigura has achieved substantial growth over recent years, growing revenue from USD12 billion in 2003 to USD181 billion in 2018. The Group has been connecting its customers to the global economy for more than two decades, growing prosperity by advancing trade.

 

For more information, please visit: www.trafigura.com 

 

About Perlin
Perlin is partnered with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and supported by the Singapore Government to pioneer innovative blockchain solutions across industries. Perlin will accelerate and transform international trade for a more digital, autonomous, efficient and sustainable trading economies. Perlin’s suite of blockchain enterprise solutions, designed to be interoperable with other existing and future trade systems (both analog and digital), are focused on enabling incremental digitisation across industries and empowering international trade with practical blockchain tools. Perlin’s mission is to support enterprises with best-in-class technology and the essential building blocks they need to meet the challenges of future digital commerce.

 

[1] Singapore is connected to the world through a strong network of international trade agreements, which include 20 implemented Free Trade Agreements with 31 trading partners (Source: EDB Singapore)

[2] TradeTrust consists of a set of governance and legal frameworks, standards and a future-ready digital infrastructure, to facilitate the interoperability of electronic trade documents exchanged between different digital ecosystems.