Momentum around the electronic Bill of Lading (eBL) continues to build. The technical, legal and operational foundations are already in place. Jurisdictions such as Singapore, the UK and France have
already embraced the Model Law for Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR) through legal reforms. Meanwhile, China revised its maritime law in October 2025. Effective from May 2026, electronic transport records will have equal legal standing with paper documents in the world’s largest exporting nation.
Despite progress and commitment across the ecosystem, adoption remains modest—in many routes, the numbers remain in the single digit. The question is no longer whether the industry can digitise electronic documentation, but when eBL will generate the value needed to accelerate adoption at scale—and how?
For years, global trade has been underpinned by two sets of rails working together. The logistical systems that move goods, and the financial systems that move money. Both have functioned
effectively, but as they have digitised, they have done so along separate paths. Today, carriers are leading efforts to digitise trade documentation, yet trade documents were designed to serve two
equal purposes—enabling both the physical transport of goods and the financing of trade.
This whitepaper argues that eBL adoption will only reach critical mass when eBLs bridge these two worlds. The next phase of progress lies in relinking the physical and financial layers of trade.
By digitising titles and connecting them natively to financial and data rails, the eBL can become more than just a tool of efficiency or compliance. By linking the flow of goods with the flow of value, we
can make trade faster and cheaper, more efficient and accessible for those who learn how to best leverage this new tool.