Home | Digital Trade Forum

September 3rd 2026 | Brisbane | 9am - 5pm

ABOUT THE EVENT

Building Australia’s Modern Trade Infrastructure

The Digital Trade Forum is a one-day, executive-level convening designed to accelerate Australia’s transition to modern, fully digital and interoperable trade infrastructure. The program brings together government agencies, industry leaders, financial institutions and global technology partners to address the standards, systems and capabilities required for a competitive, secure and digitally enabled trading nation.

The forum examines digital documentation, verifiable credentials, distributed ledger infrastructure, supply chain integrity, advanced settlement mechanisms, and the harmonisation of domestic frameworks with international standards. Through policy discussions, technical briefings and implementation case studies, the Forum establishes clear priorities for national alignment and sector-wide adoption.

About the event

Brought to you by

Hon. Steven Minnikin

Minister for Customer Services and Open Data and Minister for Small and Family Business

Rahul Bhargava

Contour Network

Adrian Ng

GLEIF

Sean Crook

Neolink

Simon Hopgood

ChainDox

Prof. Sarah Green

Advisor to CMS UK; Independent Arbitrator and Mediator; FRSA MCIArb FBBA

Rachael Jones

AUDD Digital

Marie Brennan

Northern Trust

Cam Tran

Toriens

Adam Switzer

BetterX

Brad Leonard

International Forwarders & Customs Brokers Assoc. of Australia

Adam Pearce

Export Finance Australia

Lawrence Christoffelz

Aus. Trade & Logistics (ATLC)

Alice Hudson

Altana AI

Wendy Mackay

Mackay Advisory

Margo Harris

Barrister at the Victorian Bar; Maritime Law / UNCCA - UNCITRAL

Herve Lacorne

TradeEnabler

Jason Burgess

Procurement Resources

Madhu Murundi

Murundi Group

Suheb Ahmed

ACI Worldwide

Proudly Sponsored by

Standards Alignment

Australia’s digital trade capability must align with international frameworks, including MLETR and emerging global interoperability standards. Harmonisation enables secure, recognised, and frictionless cross-border trade.

Infrastructure Modernisation

Modern trade requires digital documentation, verifiable credentials, tokenised titles and advanced settlement systems. Strengthening national infrastructure positions Australia to compete in a fully digital global economy.

Regulatory & Governance Readiness

Clear, coordinated regulatory settings are essential for industry adoption and global trust. Australia’s competitiveness depends on robust governance, legal certainty and secure operational frameworks.

Implementation & Capacity Building

Digital trade transformation must be deployed at scale. This includes sector readiness, pilot programs, workforce capability uplift and practical pathways for adoption across supply chains, exporters and financial institutions.

AUSTRALIA’S DIGITAL TRADE IMPERATIVE

Australia is entering a decisive phase of its economic transformation. Global markets are shifting to digitally native trade systems, and countries that modernise quickly will define the future trading environment. Australia has the institutional capability, technical expertise and industry leadership required to meet this moment, but coordinated action is essential.

Australia's export strength, logistics footprint and innovation readiness create a strategic advantage in establishing the nation’s first fully digital end-to-end trade corridor. HopgoodGanim Lawyers, together with leading technology and industry partners, is advancing the legal, regulatory and commercial foundations required to support secure, scalable and internationally recognised digital trade.

Program Overview

Networking & Registration

Delegate arrival, housekeeping, accreditation and informal networking.

State Government Address on the Digital Economy

Delivering a stronger digital future for Queenslanders
With Digital Transformation and Small/Medium-sized businesses the focal point of our State’s growing economy, Minister Minnikin outlines a plan for Queensland’s future, supporting the modernisation of critical systems and improving service delivery for Queenslanders.

The Hon. Steve Minnikin MP, Minister for Customer Services and Open Data, Minister for Small and Family Business

Advancing Modern Trade Facilitation (Keynote Presentation)

To be announced.

Panel 1: The Changing Coastline of Trade — Legal, Operational & Digital Frontiers

How legal frameworks, operational excellence, and digital innovation are unlocking paper-based trade processes; from carriage of goods and arbitration to scalable LC digitisation and seamless settlement, underpinned by verifiable organisational identity.

Alec O'Sullivan, Digital Economy Council of Australia (DECA)

Margo Harris, Maritime Law / UNCCA - UNCITRAL

Rahul Bhargava, COO Contour Network

Adrian Ng, Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF)

Panel 2: The Evolving Landscape of Payments and Banking: Stablecoins, Banking Innovation & Building Trust

Learn how the implementation of emerging technologies is reshaping payments and banking, creating efficient trade flows in compliance with global regulatory shifts.

Suheb Ahmed, ACI Worldwide

Rachael Jones, AUDD Digital

Adam Pearce, Export Finance Australia

[and to be confirmed]

Panel 3: Digital Supply Chain & Ethical Trade

From origin to consumer: verifiable ethical standards, human rights due diligence, ‘ESG traceables’ into value chains for regenerative trade in supply chains.

Lawrence Christoffelz, Australian Trade & Logistics Corporation (ATLC), and Ethical Trade Alliance

Alice Hudson, Altana AI

Madhu Murundi, Murundi Group

Wendy Mackay, Mackay Advisory

Panel 4: The Border and the Opportunity

Crossing borders: Imports, Exports and everything in between - conversations that make economies resilient, interoperable, and prosperous.

Cam Tran,

Brad Leonard, Border and Biosecurity, International Forwarders & Customs Brokers Association of Australia

Sean Crook, Neolink

Simon Hopgood, ChainDox

Panel 5: Digital Assets for the Real World

Can real-world asset tokenisation power liquidity, transparency, and unlock regenerative capital liquidity for a truly modern, and fairer, global economy?

Tim Edwards, HopgoodGanim Lawyers

Herve Lacorne, Winstant / TradeEnabler

Adam Switzer, BetterX

Marie Brennan, Northern Trust

Lessons for a Digital Economy (from the UK) with Professor Sarah Green

Overcoming possession hurdles for digital trade and finance, plus wider conversation about legal certainty around digital assets. A Fireside with Sean White, co-chair of the ITFA's Fintech sub-committee on Digital Negotiable Instruments and Stablecoins.

Prof. Sarah Green, Advisor to CMS Crypto Team, Professor in Law, ex-Commissioner Commercial & Common Law (UK Wales)

Sean White, XDC Network - Board member of the Digital Economy Council of Australia (DECA) & the International Trade & Forfaiting Association (ITFA)

Closing Remarks

Tim Edwards responds to the day's talking points and provides a strategic synthesis of priorities, challenges and next steps for coordinated national action.

Tim Edwards, HopgoodGanim Lawyers

Networking Reception

An opportunity for cross-sector engagement and partnership development.

Digital readiness: Defining the Standard

Digital trade is no longer an emerging concept. Legally recognised electronic trade documents, tokenised titles, and instant, immutable settlement networks are already operational in leading global markets. Australia must ensure its systems, standards and regulatory settings keep pace with these advances.

Digital infrastructure in practice

Tokenised titles and verifiable documents enable secure, tamper-proof transfer of ownership. Combined with high-assurance cryptography, this infrastructure surpasses traditional cloud frameworks in security and traceability. Value can be held, moved, transferred and settled with new levels of reliability and efficiency - reducing risk and improving productivity across the entire trade lifecycle.

Beyond paper. Beyond legacy systems.

Paper-based processes have constrained Australia’s competitiveness for decades. Digital documentation aligned with MLETR/MLDT framing - and ICC Digital Standards - enables faster, more secure trade processing and unlocks new financial opportunities, including real-time settlement, improved liquidity, and access to modern capital solutions for exporters and supply chain operators.