Share this article
A UN Agency is Exploring Blockchain's Impact on Trade
A UN agency is putting together two white papers focused on how blockchain tech can facilitate trade and business processes.
By Stan Higgins
Updated Sep 11, 2021, 1:17 p.m. Published May 3, 2017, 9:00 a.m.
A UN agency dedicated to facilitating international and national trade is putting together a pair of white papers centered on blockchain technology.
A project proposal detailing the work was published yesterday by the UN Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (CEFACT), a subsidiary of the Economic Commission for Europe.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
The organization is developing the two white papers – one focused on technical matters and the other on business cases – as well as a half-day workshop, tentatively scheduled for sometime this autumn.
The project was officially approved on 20th April, with CEFACT noting in the proposal:
"The scope of this project is to look at how existing UN/CEFACT deliverables could be used by blockchain application developers ... possible changes to existing UN/CEFACT deliverables, or new deliverables, that could be considered in order to support blockchain trade-facilitation related applications … [and] how blockchain technology could be used to facilitate trade and related business processes."
This is the latest blockchain development out of the UN, which has seen a number of its agencies pursue activities around the tech in recent weeks and months.
Perhaps most notably, the World Food Programme (WFP) began a large-scale aid distribution trial based in Jordan this week, one that leverages the ethereum blockchain to process transactions.
The trial began with an initial focus group of 10,000, but the agency said it could see expansion in the months ahead to include all refugees in the country.
UN headquarters image via Shutterstock
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Bitcoin’s Deep Correction Sets Stage for December Rebound, Says K33 Research
K33 Research says market fear is outweighing fundamentals as bitcoin nears key levels. December could offer an entry point for bold investors.
What to know:
- K33 Research says bitcoin’s steep correction shows signs of bottoming, with December potentially marking a turning point.
- The firm has argued that the market is overreacting to long-term risks while ignoring near-term signals of strength, like low leverage and solid support levels.
- With likely policy shifts ahead and cautious positioning in futures, K33 sees more upside potential than risk of another major collapse.
Top Stories
