eBL interoperability stopped being a pilot: ICE, IQAX, GSBN and HSBC have landed the first interoperable eBL transactions with ePresentation to a bank.
The bridge is built and the industry is already using it. The 4-minute cut of the eBL Interoperability at Scale webinar (27 October 2026) from GSBN, with HSBC, ICE Digital Trade (formerly essDOCS) and IQAX.
What eBL interoperability actually means here. Not one shared platform and not a data pipe between vendors: each platform agrees what it asks of the other, technical, legal, liability, approval so a document issued on one is transacted on another without the trade noticing. That is the difference between a walled garden and an open network.
Why interoperability matters. International trade is one of the last major strongholds of the analogue world (Bhupendra Jagdev, HSBC). From a bank’s side the maths multiplies fast: markets × platforms × internal approvals and cross-platform eBL is what lowers duplication, shortens the path to adoption and lets the network scale.
Marina Comninos (ICE Digital Trade) explains the four pillars that made the pilot successful: technically viable, legally valid, a shared understanding between solution providers, and approval from the International Group of P&I Clubs.
The biggest blocker used to be legal. But today, it is largely unlocked because of MLETR, the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records which has been implemented in Singapore, the UK (Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023) and the US.
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 What Is eBL Interoperability?
00:16 Why Should Banks Care About eBL Interoperability?
01:09 Carriers And The Road To 100% eBL Adoption
01:40 MLETR Solving the Legal Blocker of eBL Interoperability
01:58 The Four Pillars Of eBL Interoperability
02:56 Why Is eBL Adoption Still Low and What’s Next to Come?
🎙️ Speakers
Bhupendra Jagdev, Senior Product Manager, Trade Finance, HSBC
Eric Wong, Chief Product Officer, IQAX
Fiona So, Senior Technical Product Manager, GSBN
Marina Comninos, Co-Head, ICE Digital Trade
❓ Questions this video answers
What is eBL interoperability? The ability to issue, transfer, endorse, present and surrender an electronic bill of lading across different eBL platforms, so the parties to a shipment no longer need the same provider.
Is an eBL legally the same as a paper bill of lading? Yes, where the law recognises electronic transferable records — Singapore, the UK and the US have all implemented MLETR.
What are the four pillars? Technical viability, legal validity, a mutual agreement on what each provider asks of the other, and approval from the International Group of P&I Clubs.
Do carriers have to change systems? No. Carriers continue issuing and managing eBLs as they do today; the platforms connect around them.
Why is adoption still low? Not capability — willingness. Banks, traders and platforms have to start transacting across it.
What is MLETR? The UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records — the legal model that lets an electronic record carry the same rights and obligations as a paper bill of lading.
ICE, IQAX, GSBN and HSBC have landed the first interoperable eBL transactions with ePresentation to a bank.