The Paypers

According to the proposed changes, important documents such as a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), which allows an appointed person to make medical and financial decisions on another's behalf should the latter lose mental capacity, will also be digitised.

Most maritime trade transactions currently use physical bills of lading that are legal and commercial documents that provide evidence for the contract of carriage, receipt, and ownership of goods. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore have been working with the Port of Rotterdam's blockchain centre Blocklab on introducing title transfer capability in relation to electronic Bills of Lading.

In December 2020 Singapore was trialling digital documentation with Qinzhou and Tianjin ports in China to facilitate trade by reducing the amount of paperwork involved in cross-border trade. The trials are part of Singapore's move to build its Networked Trade Platform that launched in 2018, which will allow for electronic exchanges of documents needed in cross-border trade.

Singapore may implement digitised cross-border trade documents