New digital verification service aims to strengthen global buyers’ confidence in Pakistani exporters without transferring confidential trade records.
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 14 (Focus Pakistan) — Alibaba.com will be able to confirm Pakistani suppliers’ export declarations against official records after Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and the online business-to-business marketplace signed an agreement to launch a digital Trade Data Confirmation Service.
The service links PSW’s national trade platform with Alibaba.com through application programming interfaces, or APIs. Alibaba.com sends a request and PSW answers it, so the platform can check a supplier’s declaration without either side handing over the underlying trade data. PSW keeps the data; only the confirmation travels.
Overseas buyers on the marketplace get an extra layer of assurance from the arrangement, because Alibaba.com can independently confirm a Pakistani supplier’s export declarations against the national system. The timing, coverage and cost of the service remain undisclosed. According to the joint statement, the service “is expected to further strengthen buyer confidence in Pakistani suppliers” and reinforce trust in transactions on the platform.
Alibaba.com gives Pakistani businesses access to “a global B2B marketplace” that connects them with international buyers, along with digital tools “to discover new markets and expand their export reach,” according to the joint statement. Pakistani suppliers on the platform often sell to buyers on other continents whom they never meet.
“Our collaboration with Alibaba.com demonstrates how Pakistan’s digital trade infrastructure can enable innovative services that strengthen trust in cross-border trade,” said Syed Aftab Haider, chief executive of PSW. Haider spoke at the signing of the agreement. “By offering trade data confirmation services through API integration, we are creating new opportunities for collaboration between private-led digital platforms and the government-mandated single window systems to optimize the use of the trade data for enhancing transparency and strengthening integrity and reliability of the entire supply chain for Pakistani businesses,” he further added.
“We are pleased to partner with Pakistan Single Window to introduce this Trade Data Confirmation Service. This collaboration will further strengthen trust on the platform, help Pakistani exporters do business more seamlessly with global buyers, and set a new benchmark for transparency and reliability in international e-commerce,” said Summer Gao, head of Pakistan business at Alibaba.com.
The two organisations said in a joint statement that the service would “offer an additional layer of assurance to Alibaba.com and its global buyers.” PSW described the deal as part of its effort to support Pakistan’s integration into the global digital economy.
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PSW, incorporated in April 2020, runs the country’s national digital trade platform, which brings customs, other government agencies and commercial banks onto one system so traders can complete import and export formalities online. Its subscriber base stood at 108,059 registered users in its April-June newsletter. It operates as the country’s designated single window for trade.
The Alibaba.com agreement also follows PSW’s integration in September with ValidAP, a blockchain-based digital document verification platform from Hong Kong, another step in its push towards trusted digital trade.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb discussed digital payments, a cashless economy and support for small exporters with Alibaba International executives in October. He praised Alibaba’s support for small businesses, local brands and exports through Alibaba.com, according to a ministry statement at the time.
“We believe this initiative will provide stronger support for Pakistani businesses as they expand into global markets,” Gao added.
