Unlocking cross-border trade data exchange
In 2020, the IOTA Foundation joined forces with TradeMark Africa to tackle a critical challenge in international trade — the lack of efficient digital information exchange between stakeholders. The partnership established the Trade and Logistics Information Pipeline (TLIP), a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming global trade by connecting all parties through a seamless and secure data-sharing network.
Streamlining Global Trade
TLIP's main focus is to facilitate the smooth exchange of data and trade documents across borders, involving government agencies, traders, and logistics providers. In an industry burdened by paper-based and manual processes, TLIP aims to modernise and streamline operations, overcoming the hurdles associated with traditional methods of data exchange.
Our Technology
At TLIP's core lies the robust foundation of IOTA’s open-source distributed ledger technology (DLT). Leveraging DLT’s inherent qualities – transparency, traceability, and immutability – TLIP is designed to foster trust and integrity in shared data.
Pilot Programs and Trials
Kenya to Netherlands Flower Trade: TLIP was tested in pilot programs for the flower trade, helping to cover supply chain gaps and providing a single source of truth for key trade documents.
Ecosystem of Trust Trials: As part of the UK government’s 2025 Border Strategy, TLIP was used to capture supply chain documentation across various trade flows, including coffee, tea, flowers, frozen fish, and canned food. Learn more about the Ecosystem of Trust trials here.
The Consortium
The TLIP platform was developed by TradeMark Africa in partnership with the IOTA Foundation, drawing on insights gained from implementations in Kenya and the United Kingdom. Recognising the need for a global consortium to ensure widespread adoption, TradeMark Africa, the IOTA Foundation, the World Economic Forum, the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade, the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change signed a Collaboration Agreement to jointly develop and expand the TLIP infrastructure and governance framework.
Videos
Flowers from Kenya to Holland
The benefits of TLIP are demonstrated by a shipment of flowers from Nairobi, Kenya, to Royal FloraHolland in the Netherlands.
Any questions?
