White papers
Published: 15 September 2025

Trade Compliance for Leadership: Navigating a Shifting Global Landscape

Global trade is undergoing a fundamental transformation, driven by geopolitical shifts, evolving regulatory frameworks and rapid technological change. Non-compliance with new trade requirements could affect hundreds of billions of dollars of trade flows. The stakes are high: compliance safeguards business continuity, avoids supply chain disruption and can be a competitive advantage. It also mitigates the risks of penalties and reputational damage.

Global trade is undergoing a fundamental transformation, driven by geopolitical shifts, evolving regulatory frameworks and rapid technological change. Non-compliance with new trade requirements could affect hundreds of billions of dollars of trade flows. The stakes are high: compliance safeguards business continuity, avoids supply chain disruption and can be a competitive advantage. It also mitigates the risks of penalties and reputational damage.

Many companies will now need to evaluate their approach to international trade management. These functions should be adequately resourced, empowered to coordinate across departments and positioned to inform strategic decisions.

This white paper, assembled in collaboration with PwC, provides a practical guide for navigating today’s trade compliance challenges. It draws on insights from leading global companies through the World Economic Forum’s Trade Compliance Practitioners and professionals in trade compliance across the PwC network.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum reports may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

About us

Engage with us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2025 World Economic Forum