New Trade Consortium Launch with TradeWaltz Inc. as Its Secretariat and Consisting of 40 Companies Including the Original 8 Trading Companies as Well as New Manufacturers, Public Institutions, and More.

TradeWaltz Inc., which operates the trading-related information-sharing platform known as “TradeWaltz,” launched the new “Trade Consortium” together with 40 companies from across the industry, inheriting and developing the philosophy of the former “Trade Consortium”, which had been operated by NTT Data Corporation (hereinafter referred to as NTT Data) as its secretariat since 2017. The new “Trade Consortium” was launched with 40 companies from across the industry, and has started recruiting new members from May 25.

■ Activities of the former Trade Consortium aimed at building a platform
In trade operations around the world, the systemization of individual companies and lines of businesses has been progressing, but since each company is independent, information linkage between companies and lines of businesses is mainly done through written procedures such as faxes and e-mails, and often involves a lot of human labor.

In order to improve these issues using blockchain technology, on August 30, 2017, NTT Data served as the secretariat for the Consortium for the Realization of a Trade Information Sharing Platform Using Blockchain Technology (commonly known as the Trade Consortium), which was launched with 13 trade practitioners. In the almost four years of activities up to the end of March 2021, the Consortium continued to conduct PoC and lobby for legal amendments in Japan and abroad, and was able to produce results such as the construction of the trading-related information-sharing platform “TradeWaltz,” as well as the establishment of its operating company, TradeWaltz Inc.

■ Activities of the New Trade Consortium to Promote Digitalized Trade
In order to enter the phase of introducing the created trading-related information-sharing platform to society, the former “Trade Consortium” was dissolved and the “Consortium for Improving Efficiency and Normalization of Trade Information Sharing (commonly known as the Trade Consortium)” was established in April 2021 with TradeWaltz Inc. as the secretariat.

In addition to the trading companies, banks, insurance companies, logistics companies, and shipping companies that have been participating since the beginning, manufacturers, IT vendors, public institutions, and more have joined, expanding the scale of the organization.

The following activities are planned for the Consortium.

*1) We have begun discussions with the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Justice to revise the law on digital bills of lading.

https://www8.cao.go.jp/kisei-kaikaku/kisei/meeting/wg/toushi/20210119/agenda.html

As remote work has become strongly advised during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to strengthen the supply chain has been recognized, the Consortium would like to further promote the spread of trade information sharing infrastructure, which is becoming an essential tool for smooth execution of trade-related operations. Therefore, we would like to invite new members to the Consortium so that more trade practitioners can become involved.

If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact the secretariat (TradeWaltz Inc.) using the inquiry e-mail address at the bottom of this page.

■About TradeWaltz Inc.
Company Name                     TradeWaltz Inc.
Representative                       Hirohisa Kojima, President & CEO
Headquarters                         2F, Marunouchi Nijubashi Building, 2-2 Marunouchi 3-Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
Date Established                   April 2020
Main Operations                   Delivery of the TradeWaltz® SaaS(*2), a trading-related information-sharing platform built with blockchain technology
Employees                              16 (*3)
URL:                                        https://www.tradewaltz.com 

（*1）「TradeWaltz」is a registered trade mark in Japan of TradeWaltz Inc. Any other names of products, companies, groups, etc., are names and registered trademarks of their own.
（*2）SaaS stands for Software as a Service. It is a model that makes software available for use over the Internet.
（*3）TradeWaltz Inc. is currently recruiting core members to help create the future of trade ecosystem with us. Information on the on the job site “BizReach”.
（https://www.bizreach.jp/job-feed/public-advertising/pvyk0qo/）

Please direct all inquiries regarding this announcement to
TradeWaltz Inc. CEO’s Office, REP: Someya and Saito
Email：info@tradewaltz.com