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.
Brought to you by
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Hon. Steven Minnikin
Minister for Customer Services and Open Data; Minister for Small and Family Business
Margo Harris
Barrister Victorian Bar; UNCCA
Adam Pearce
Export Finance Australia
Alice Hudson
Altana AI
Madhu Murundi
Murundi Group
Wendy Mackay
Mackay Advisory
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Prof. Sarah Green
Adviser to CMS UK; Independent Arbitrator and Mediator; FRSA MCIArb FBBA
Rahul Bhargava
Contour Network
Marie Brennan
Northern Trust
Jason Burgess
Procurement Resources
Cam Tran
Toriens
Sean Crook
Neolink
Sean Bohannon
Director of Emerging and Priority Sectors at Trade & Investment Queensland
Rachael Jones
AUDD Digital
Suheb Ahmed
ACI Worldwide
Lawrence Christoffelz
Aus. Trade & Logistics (ATLC)
Adam Switzer
BetterX
Tim Edwards
HopgoodGanim Lawyers
Liz Blinco
Executive Mgr Trade & Working Capital at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Herve Lacorne
TradeEnabler
Brad Leonard
IFCBAA
Alec O'Sullivan
Digital Economy Council (DECA)
Simon Hopgood
ChainDox
Sean White
XDC Network / DECA / ITFA
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.
Opening: 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
Queensland’s Digital Advantage — From local capability to global commercial outcomes
The Director of Emerging and Priority Sectors, Sean Bohannon, outlines Trade & Investment Queensland's commitment to the state's trade and modernisation priorities. Sean will provide an overview of Queensland’s emerging digital industries and place them within the context of Australia’s broader international trade relationships. Looking ahead, he will explore the global shift towards digital trade modernisation and explain why Queensland—with its innovative businesses, research strengths, skilled workforce and international connections—is well positioned to seize the opportunities it presents.
Sean Bohannon, Director of Emerging and Priority Sectors, Trade & Investment Queensland (TIQ)
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, Vic Bar / UNCCA - UNCITRAL
Rahul Bhargava, Contour Network
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
Liz Blinco, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
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 Corp. (ATLC)
Alice Hudson, Altana AI
Madhu Murundi, Murundi Group
Wendy Mackay, Mackay Advisory / Adaluma Tech
An update from DECA's Tech & Infrastructure Working Group on Trade Digitalisation
An update from the Digital Economy Council of Australia’s Technology and Infrastructure Working Group, outlining current priorities, key areas of focus and industry engagement across the digital systems supporting Australia’s future economy.
Jason Burgess, Procurement Resources / DECA Working Group
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, Toriens
Brad Leonard, International Forwarders & Customs Brokers Association of Australia (IFCBAA)
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
Fireside: 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.
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