What should you look out for or expect in the international business world in 2018? Let’s take a look and see what could be dominating the headlines you read over the next twelve months.

1. The CPTPP

Though President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the TPP in January, the remaining 11 countries are working to resurrect the deal as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This deal, if signed, would eliminate approximately 95% of tariffs on trade between these countries, who have a combined GDP of over $10 trillion USD.

In November, Canada surprised the other 10 countries by declining to sign the agreement, to the surprise of the negotiators and the Canadian international trade community. However, amid efforts to diversify exports beyond the American market, it seems unlikely that Canada will continue to drag its heels on an opportunity to gain preferential access to the Japanese market in particular. Expect any final issues to be resolved and the CPTPP to be signed sometime in 2018.

2. Ongoing, contentious Brexit talks

By December 2017, the UK has completed the first phase of Brexit negotiations with the EU, covering issues such as the Irish border, citizens’ rights and financial settlements. The second phase of negotiations will cover the UK’s transition period after formally leaving the EU in March 2019. Discussions over the long-term relationship between the UK and EU will be included in phase three.

This process was complicated on December 13, when several Conservative British MPs joined the opposition to vote for an amendment requiring British Parliament to debate and vote on any final deal with the EU before it can be approved.

The second phase of Brexit negotiations are planned for 2018, and are expected to present few greater challenges than the first phase. The final phase on the long-term relationship between the UK and EU, however, presents several important questions about economic integration and free trade that Britain’s politicians and citizens have not yet agreed upon.

With two sets of challenging negotiations, and the extra hurdle of parliamentary approval, the odds that talks will drag into the final three months before the UK leaves the EU on March 29, 2019 remain high.

3. Sustainable, cleantech exports

If you’re involved in the clean tech and sustainability sector, 2018 should be a strong year for you. Despite the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, global regulations are still trending towards stricter environmental and emissions regulations, requiring businesses to invest in cleaner technology in order to meet those standards. According to EDC President and CEO Benoit Daignault, total global investment in cleantech has now exceeded $1 trillion and will reach $2.5 trillion by 2020.

Canada in particular is placing great emphasis on this industry. The Canadian government promised $1 billion towards clean tech in its 2017 budget for R&D. The Trade Commissioner Service is also hiring 15 new Trade Commissioners to focus specifically on cleantech.

4. India, Brazil, and New Zealand – the rising stars of global trade

If you’re looking for new markets over the next 12 months, Morgan Stanley recommends you take a hard look at India. They argue the country’s increased digitization, new tax laws and younger demographics present a bright future, and predict 7.5% GDP growth in 2018. Morgan Stanley also predicts that India will be the world’s fastest growing economy over the coming decade.

Brazil will also see a quick recession recovery, growing an expected by 3.1% in 2018, according to the Brazilian government.

If you’re more interested in fully developed markets, Forbes ranked New Zealand second on its 2018 Best Countries for Doing Business rankings, citing its 3.6% economic growth in 2017, among other factors. The country also ranked highly in several categories for ease of doing business, including first in IP rights, bureaucracy/red tape levels surrounding business, and Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.

5. Meaningful action to reduce oil dependency

As Venezuela continues to suffer through the collapse of its oil-dependent economy, and the U.S. plans to become a net exporter of oil within 10 years, several oil-dependent economies are taking steps to diversify their economies.

In Russia, Putin’s approval levels are dropping as the economy struggles through lower oil revenues. Despite making fiscal changes to reduce the national budget’s dependence on oil revenues, he may push for new measures to improve his chances in the country’s 2018 presidential elections.

Saudi Arabia has plans to sell about 5% of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company, through an IPO in 2018 and expects to generate up to $100 billion for the country’s Vision 2030 program, designed to shift the Saudi economy away from oil dependency towards tech and entertainment services.

Nigeria and Angola, meanwhile, are looking to agriculture to reduce their oil dependency issues. Nigeria, dependent on oil for 70% of government revenues, has launched a new program to increase yam exports to Europe and the U.S., as the country produces 60% of the world’s yams. Angola are instead focused on a broader approach to tap into their agricultural potential, which includes producing more cereals, milk, chicken, cassava, and other products.

6. Banks taking on blockchain

It is practically impossible these days to tune into the business or financial news and not hear a story about the latest blockchain or cryptocurrency development. Blockchain technology, allowing multiple players to have access to a live, unalterable digital ledger, offers game-changing possibilities for international trade finance. In 2018 this buzzworthy fintech is moving beyond Silicon Valley start-ups, into the mainstream world of global financial institutions.

In March, 2017, we reported on how banks were working to bring the advantages of blockchain technology to their corporate clients. In May, the R3 Consortium, made up of of 70 of the world’s biggest financial institutions and created to research and develop blockchain adoption, announced it had secured its largest ever investment. Then in October 2017, seven major banks partnered with R3 and Finastra to develop a blockchain-based marketplace for syndicated loans. On December 6, Amazon joined the blockchain party, announcing a partnership with R3 to allow the Corda platform to be the first distributed ledger technology to operate on the Amazon Web Services Platform.

What will we see in 2018? Swiss global financial company UBS has led an initiative to create a “utility settlement coin” that would represent each major national currency. If this coin is launched, the Corda platform could be adapted to facilitate its use.

IBM is working on launching their own blockchain platform that would allow banks to rapidly clear global payment transactions. There are also several start-ups working on digitizing the bill of lading process.

2018 could be the year some of the blockchain-based payment initiatives move from development to adoption.

7. Adoption of futuristic supply chain technology

Machine learning, automation and robotics, self-driving vehicles, new tracking technology – all of these futuristic supply chain tools will see major developments and implementation in 2018.

The past year was a big one for self-driving vehicles, culminating with the reveal of Tesla’s new fully electric semi, gaining pre-orders from big players such as PepsiCo, UPS and Walmart. Companies invested over $1 billion into self-driving and other trucking technologies in 2017.

Speaking of investing in supply chain technology, over $4 billion was invested in AI by U.S. venture capitalists in the past year. One application that has seen immediate return for companies adopting machine learning capable AI is Multi-Echelon Inventory Optimization (MEIO), which has been shown to reduce inventories by 30% while maintaining or improving customer fill rates.

Robots will also continue to play more of a role in warehouses in 2018. While some are increasingly capable of working independently, replacing human workers on the floor, others are working alongside humans, or being controlled by humans using VR applications. There’s no doubt that the demand for the skills needed to work with robotics will continue to rise in the year ahead.

8. Planning for the possibility of a world without NAFTA

The sixth round of NAFTA talks is set to kick off in Montreal January 23. But as the negotiations near, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of positivity. The first five rounds reportedly saw very little progress, putting even more pressure on this next round.

What’s the problem? The U.S. is seemingly immovable on five issues that pose major problems for the agreement’s other two member countries, Canada and Mexico.

The five issues include:

• Removal of reciprocity in government procurement at the sub-national level
• Changes to the rules of origin in the auto sector
• Elimination of the independent dispute resolution clause
• End of Canadian supply management of the dairy, eggs and poultry industries
• Addition of a “sunset clause” on NAFTA itself

“NAFTA, by itself, will not collapse,” said Mexico’s Economy Minister ldefonso Guajardo in October, but even if Mr. Guajardo is right, it may change drastically from what we have in place today.

If this really does spell the end of NAFTA, the Canadian auto, pulp and paper, chemicals, mining, aerospace and oil and gas industries are likely to be most affected, according to BMO chief economist Douglas Porter.

Even without NAFTA, trade between the three nations is inevitable. Supply chains between Canada and Mexico criss-cross the U.S. How businesses adapt to the realities of a new – or non-existent – NAFTA, is something we’ll be watching closely in 2018.

9. Cyber threats and IP risks

As technology gets more sophisticated and ingrained in our work and personal lives, so too does the threat of cyber security breaches, which in turn compromises our intellectual property. Sixty-four percent of companies surveyed reported some experience of web-based attacks in the past year. Companies of all sizes are targeted and face the risk of cyber threats from simply being connected to the internet. And the costs are large – the average cost of a data breach in Canada is a jaw-dropping $6.03M.

So what types of threats are growing in 2018? Phishing, social engineering attacks, malicious code, botnets, denial of service attacks and ransomeware are all on the rise.

Ransomware in particular is growing in frequency, attacks rose an alarming 50% in 2016. Demonstrative of the damage a ransomeware attack can cause was the aftermath of the WannaCry attack in May 2017. Hundreds of thousands of individuals lost access to their data, compromising intellectual property, private customer information, and disrupting commercial processes.

As a business, it has never been more crucial to include cybersecurity programs directly in your strategy, and engage IT professionals to help cover all aspects of your web-based properties.

10. Demand for global trade skills higher than ever

Despite continuing turmoil and uncertainty on the global political stage, Canadian businesses still hold an optimistic outlook about their export opportunities. According to Export Development Canada’s Fall 2017 Survey, the majority of respondents believe that export sales will increase in 2018, citing new opportunities, growing demand, and expansion into new markets as stimulating factors.

As more businesses of all sizes get involved in international markets, the demand for talent skilled in global trade processes, is also growing.

“We hear from exporters all the time that knowledge is one of the most important tools for building international success,” said EDC Senior VP, Business Development Mairead Lavery.

In 2017, the FITTskills international trade training program underwent a major update, including the addition of 60% new content to reflect the changes we’ve seen in technology, ecommerce, trade agreements and more. In October, FITT also partnered with EDC to expand access to the available resources for businesses of all sizes looking to take advantage of international opportunities.

There’s no doubt that we all face an exciting year ahead, full of innovation, an ever-shifting global political environment, and risks, alongside ample new opportunities for business growth.

What trends will you be watching in 2018?

The post 10 global trade trends we’ll be watching in 2018 appeared first on Trade Ready.

For thousands of years, deliveries were made either on foot, or with the assistance of a horse or a ship. Then trains, automobiles, and planes came along and radically changed things. In the past 100 years, deliveries were able to be made faster, safer, and more efficiently than at any point in history.

However, deliveries are now going through yet another stage of development, and innovation is changing shipping again. Here is a look at some of the newest and most innovative delivery methods that companies are trying now.

1. Drones to fill the skies

Drones – unmanned flying machines that can be piloted by a person on the ground or guided using software – are among the most hyped new shipping technologies. A number of companies have already begun using drones to make deliveries.

In fact, in March 2017, Amazon made its first official drone delivery through its new “Prime Air” delivery service. The delivery consisted of a bottle of sunscreen and was sent to people at a conference in Palm Springs, California. The drone flew in, dropped off the package successfully and flew out without any issues. The online retail giant is a known pioneer and a trendsetter. So if Amazon starts heavily relying on drones for deliveries, there is a good chance that many others will soon follow suit.

Amazon is just one of many companies who are experimenting with drone delivery. Some other companies who are experimenting with drone deliveries include Domino’s Pizza, Mercedes, the Ukrainian Postal Service, and Workhorse.

The fact that so many famous brands are starting to use drones means that everything from pizzas to diapers to clothing could soon be flying through the air in high volumes.

It may soon become as commonplace to see drones flying through the air as it is to see cars driving on streets.

One of the key reasons why companies are starting to adopt drone technology is because they do not require drivers on the roads to move goods from point A to point B. This can help save companies a lot of money on delivery costs.

This is great news for companies, but potentially bad news for deliver drivers. However, despite the fact that many delivery driving jobs could soon vanish, many new job opportunities related to drone deliveries could soon arrive.

2. Driverless cars in beta

Driverless cars are another unmanned and automated approach to delivery that companies are beginning to experiment with. Domino’s again is involved with this exciting delivery innovation. On August 30^th, 2017, Domino’s started to experiment with self-driving pizza deliveries in its own hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Domino’s has partnered with Ford to use self-driving Ford Fusions to deliver pizzas to people around the city without drivers.

Because there are no drivers, no tips are required. To receive their pizza, customers have to walk up to the car and enter a four-digit code. After they enter the code, the back window roles down, and they can get their pizza out of a special heated container.

Domino’s is not the only company testing out driverless vehicles for delivery purposes. In fact, Ocado Technologies and Oxford University in England are working in collaboration to test small self-driving vans for grocery deliveries in the crowded streets of London. Oxford University is trying to create a car that will be emissions-free, in addition to delivering groceries autonomously.

3. One-hour delivery coming to your city, town or village

One-hour delivery, where possible, is extremely fast and can eliminate the days or weeks of shipping time that are often required for items purchased online.

Amazon is again leading the charge for one-hour delivery. The company now offers one-hour delivery in select major cities all over the U.S. and now into the UK and Canada for its Amazon Prime members.

Although this service is only available in a small number of cities, this amount will soon grow. This is especially true considering the fact that Amazon will be using drones more and more. Drones are not subject to traffic jams like cars are, so they have the potential to increase the speed at which items can be delivered. This is partially because drones can fly straight from point A to point B in many cases, barring buildings or other obstacles, since they do not need to follow winding roads.

So, essentially, drones could help bolster Amazon’s one-hour delivery and help to expand the service into suburban, or even rural areas.

Speedy one-hour shipping may become more common as other shippers and retailers try to keep pace with Amazon.

Revolutionizing the entire shipping industry

Between Canada and the United States, billions of packages are shipped every year. In today’s economy, customers want packages shipped faster, cheaper, and more efficiently. Delivery companies also want to reduce their delivery costs, while optimizing efficiency. The drive to create new delivery solutions is pushing companies to innovate at an impressive pace.

Delivery innovation is occurring so fast that five years from now the delivery landscape could look entirely different. Drones and self-driving cars could will automate vast portions of the delivery niche, while one-hour deliveries could make standard 5-7-day shipping periods look obsolete.

Amazon and Domino’s are two companies who are leading the charge for better delivery. This is not surprising considering that shipping is a key aspect of the business models for both of these businesses. In fact, Domino’s delivers more than 1.5 million pizzas every single day! The amount of packages that Amazon ships each day is very similar: roughly 1.6 million.

As these two major companies continue to innovate to reduce costs and improve shipping efficiency, the entire transport industry could change. The extent to which these new innovations will succeed and how much other companies follow suit is yet to be determined. But there is a high expectation that their innovations will be successful, and that many other companies will follow in their path.

Has your company changed the way you deliver goods? What will the next great shipping innovation be? Let us know in the comments below.

The post 3 innovative new delivery methods that are changing shipping as we know it appeared first on Trade Ready.