DMCC, a leading free zone and Dubai government authority on commodities trade, is launching its latest report on the ‘Future of Trade’ on May 15 with a live stream webcast moderated by BBC’s Declan Curry.

The report tackles issues such as:

•    How will global trade change over the next decade?
•    Will and how digital drive the global economy into the next phase of growth? Are the rules of engagement for global trade changing in the wake of Brexit, trade tariff disagreements and protectionism?

The webcast will feature a panel of experts moderated by former BBC presenter Declan Curry. The experts include: Cebr head of Macroeconomics, Nina Skero, Maersk senior executive officer, Sinan Ozcan, and DMCC chief executive officer Gautam Sashittal.

Building on research conducted over the last 12 months The Future of Trade report brings together the collective thinking of 250 global industry leaders, academics and experts across 6 leading commodity trade hubs, London, Zurich, Dubai, Singapore, Johannesburg and Hong Kong in addition to comprehensive quantitative research by The Centre for Economics and Business Research, and a global leading management consulting firm.

The Future of Trade highlights the emerging impact of digital transformation for importers and exporters, along with the ongoing shifts in global economic power.

Key highlights of the report:

-    Reducing supply chain barriers to trade could increase global GDP by nearly 5% and trade volumes by 15%
-    Cost of trade globally is $1.8 trillion. 20% of that cost is related to paperwork. Could blockchain change the game?
-    China is expected to free up nearly 85 million labour-intensive manufacturing jobs between 2016 and 2030. Will Africa be the next manufacturing hub?
-    Fifty per cent of SME's applications for funding are rejected. Could tech bridge the $1.5 trillion trade finance gap?
-    Imports from Belt and Road countries increased faster than exports for the first time in 2017. Is Belt and Road changing the future of trade, and who really stands to gain? – TradeArabia News Service

The webcast can be viewed here