A Path to Paperless Trade: Analysing the Legal Gaps and Economic Benefit of Adopting or Maintaining a Legal Framework that Takes into Account the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR)

Moving collectively to paperless trade represents a substantial economic opportunity for the APEC region. Differences in the legal recognition of electronic documents among APEC economies are among the biggest barriers to wider use of electronic trade documentation. The UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (‘MLETR’) is a key enabler for paperless trade because it provides a basis for the recognition of the electronic equivalents of paper-based transferable documents. This report identifies the legal gaps between existing domestic regulations among APEC economies and the requisite legal foundation to adopt a legal framework based on the MLETR. The report also conducts an economic analysis of adopting the MLETR and implementation of paperless trade, which examines the benefits for APEC economies.