Standard Chartered’s Future of Trade: Digitalisation report highlights global corporates’ priority on building strong foundations before scaling innovation

Standard Chartered’s latest report reveals that beyond the hype and promise surrounding emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and digital assets, close to seven in 10 corporate leaders are focusing on building strong foundational systems in the short to medium term – notably cloud computing.

AI (55%) and digital assets (50%) round out the top three drivers shaping the future of trade digitalisation. This reflects a pragmatic approach that the underlying infrastructure must be robust before emerging technologies can deliver value at scale.

Specific to India, corporate leaders are particularly optimistic about AI, with 74% ranking it among their top three technology adoption choices followed by cloud computing (64%) and digital assets (46%). This bullish sentiment is supported by government initiatives, such as the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence and several AI firms have been investing and expanding their operations in the world’s most populous market.

Markedly, 68% of respondents based in India outsource their digitalisation work completely, 30% work with third party providers and do this internally, while 3% do it internally. India is home to some of the world’s most notable IT outsourcing companies, which may increase the appeal among domestic corporates, given the advantages of proximity and shared culture. As India’s digital economy grows and local companies embark on digitalisation, this creates more opportunities domestically.

The Future of Trade: Digitalisation report published today, presents findings from 1,200 C-suite and senior leaders at global corporates based across 17 markets, who were surveyed about their outlook for global trade and their corporate strategies over the next three to five years. This report is a sequel to the Future of Trade: Resilience released in September 2025.

Despite the benefits these digitalisation drivers can bring, more than half of corporates cite a lack of interoperability and integration as the main challenges that are slowing down trade digitalisation. Regulatory and implementation challenges add to the friction, leaving many trade processes dependent on traditional, paper-based systems.

A dual-pronged approach could overcome this current state of structural fragmentation, namely:

• Promoting digitally-enabled commerce through Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs). All corporates find DEAs, which establish cross-border regulatory frameworks covering digital activities, instrumental in overcoming interoperability issues and regulatory barriers. More than half also hope that more markets will join DEAs and establish common standards.

• Scaling transformation through strategic partnerships. Close to 80% of respondents are working with third parties on digitalisation efforts to overcome challenges such as talent shortages and high costs to achieve faster and more efficient implementation.

“Global trade is undergoing a profound transformation, and digitalisation is accelerating the pace of change and reshaping how businesses connect, transact, and grow,” said Michael Spiegel, Global Head, Transaction Banking, Standard Chartered. “By prioritising connected data flows, compliance, and consistency, corporates are setting the stage for technologies like artificial intelligence and digital assets to scale responsibly and efficiently. When these underlying layers are strong, innovation can accelerate and sustain long-term growth across global value chains.”

“At Standard Chartered, we are proud to play a leading role in this evolution. We are investing in cloud-based platforms that connect ecosystems, digitising trade finance processes end-to-end, and co‑creating solutions that make global trade simpler, smarter, and more sustainable,” Spiegel added.

More than 80% of respondents are looking to banking partners to advise on digitalisation and the adoption of digital assets. The findings highlight a strong need for parties – including banks, fintechs, providers, and regulators – to come together to unlock the full potential of digitally-enabled trade, ensuring that innovation benefits participants at every level of the value chain.