TradeWaltz Inc wins Asia Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum Innovation Award 2022

　TradeWaltz Inc (President and CEO: Hirohisa Kojima), operator of TradeWaltz, a trade information collaboration platform (hereinafter referred to as “Trade PF”), is pleased to announce that it won the Innovation Award 2022 at the 10th Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum (hereinafter referred to as “APTFF”) held at the end of August.

■About APTFF　
　The APTFF is a forum organized by the Asian Development Bank (hereinafter: ADB) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (hereinafter: ESCAP) since 2009. The Forum, which aims to promote trade facilitation among countries and regions, usually attracts more than 250 participants from over 30 countries each year. It provides a wide range of opportunities not only for sharing information, knowledge and experiences, but also for regional cooperation and capacity building for trade facilitation. (https://www.unescap.org/events/2022/asia-pacific-trade-facilitation-forum-2022)
　The 10th APTFF, jointly organized with Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, aims to (1) enhance the resilience of international supply chains during pandemics to better support sustainable economic recovery and development in the Asia-Pacific region; (2) effectively support the participation of SMEs and least developed economies in international trade even in normal times; and (3) promote the development of a The participants discussed how trade facilitation efforts and the use of digital technology should evolve in order to deepen the inclusive and sustainable trade system.

■About the Innovation Awards 2022
　The Forum invited the world to submit innovative trade facilitation innovation cases that meet any of the following conditions, which reflect the theme of APTFF 2022.
(1) Innovative trade facilitation initiatives not specified in the WTO TFA or other major international treaties and agreements
(2) Trade facilitation initiatives that contribute to at least two of the three pillars of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (economic, social, and environmental) or utilize emerging digital technologies

　Innovation case studies submitted from around the world were evaluated by the APTFF Secretariat as well as experts invited from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Trade Center (ITC), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Customs Organization (WCO), and the UN Network of Experts on Paperless Trade and Transport in the Asia-Pacific Region (UNNExT) Advisory Committee, and several cases, including TradeWaltz, were recognized with the Innovation Award 2022.

■The scene at the TradeWaltz Award Ceremony
　TradeWaltz Inc received this year’s award in recognition of its efforts to promote cooperation among national trade platforms in the five APEC member economies. Please kindly look the photos below for more information about the award and the APTFF.

■ Comments from the Parties Involved
Koutaro Hayashi, General Manager, Alliance Division, TradeWaltz Inc
“We are delighted to have received the Innovation Award 2022 for our work as an innovative example of trade facilitation innovation. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all TradeWaltz users and our stakeholders, including the Trade Consortium for which we serve as the secretariat, for their continued support.
We will continue to improve our service quality and collaborate with government agencies and partners related to trade practice to create the future of trade.”

Overview of TradeWaltz Inc.
Name: TradeWaltz Inc.
Representative: President & CEO Hirohisa Kojima
Location : KASUMIGASEKI BUILDING 36F WORKSTYLING, 3-2-5 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-6036
Established: April 2020
Business description: Provision of the SaaS^(Note) of “TradeWaltz,” a trade-related information-sharing platform using blockchain
Number of Employees: 45 (full-time)
Website: https://www.tradewaltz.com
Shareholders: NTT DATA Corporation
　　　　　　　 Toyota Tsusho Corporation
　　　　　　　 UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd.
　　　　　　　 Mitsubishi Corporation
　　　　　　　 TW Link Corporation
　　　　　　　 Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.
　　　　　　　 Toyoshima & Co., Ltd.
　　　　　　　 Kamigumi Co., Ltd.
　　　　　　　 FUJITRANS CORPORATION
　　　　　　　 MITSUI-SOKO HOLDINGS Co., Ltd.
　　　　　　　 NISSIN CORPORATION
　　　　　　　 MUFG Bank, Ltd.
　　　　　　　 Mitsubishi Logistics Corporation
　　　　　　　 Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.

SDG initiatives: Our services mainly promote initiatives on themes 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, and 17.

（Note） An abbreviation for “Software as a Service.” It is a structure where users use necessary software functions via the Internet.
*”TradeWaltz” is the registered trademark of TradeWaltz Inc. in Japan.
*Other product names, company names and organization names are the trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.