Albert Park

Fast, smart, and borderless trade is happening now. AI is transforming customs, logistics, and trade finance by cutting clearance times, detecting fraud, and boosting efficiency from paperwork to payments. Yet adoption in Asia and the Pacific remains below 15%, revealing critical gaps in skills, data, and governance. Unlocking its full potential will require stronger digital capabilities, better data ecosystems, and trusted governance frameworks.

Read the Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Report 2026: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Trade Facilitation.
📌 adb.org/publications/a…

How can multilateral development banks—institutions that provide financing and expertise to support development—better serve their member countries?

I was delighted to participate recently in discussions on this issue at the Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi.

Under the theme “Resilience in an Age of Flux,” we explored ways to deliver faster support, foster stronger country ownership, and achieve measurable results.

I look forward to continuing the exchange on turning these reforms into better development outcomes.

This is a stark reminder of why we do what we do.

As global trade evolves, so too must development strategies.

Join this Asian Impact Webinar to explore how services and agrifood value chains can open new pathways for growth, employment, and economic transformation.

Drawing on the Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific 2026 report, the webinar will highlight what economies can do to seize these opportunities and how Aid for Trade can help economies overcome constraints, strengthen competitiveness, and capture more value from a changing global economy.

📅 12 October 2026
🕐 2:00–3:00 p.m. Manila time
🔗 Register here: asianimpact.adb.org

#CallForPapers for The 6th Asian Economic Development Conference

The @ADB_HQ and the @ADBInstitute, in collaboration with the @LKYSch in Singapore, are inviting submissions of unpublished, original research papers on economic development in Asia and the Pacific.

🗓️ Conference date: 1–2 July 2027, Singapore
📅 Submission deadline: 15 January 2027

Learn more about #AEDC2027: adb.eventsair.com/asian-economic…

Submit your paper: adb.eventsair.com/asian-economic…