World Bank Blogs: “In an increasingly connected world, digital trade is transforming how goods, services, and data move across borders. From online marketplaces and virtual professional services to cloud computing and digital payments, the digital economy represents a vital engine for growth and inclusion. Digital trade refers to trade in goods and services that are delivered digitally, including cross-border transactions conducted through digital platforms. It covers digitally delivered services such as online education, telehealth, cloud computing, freelance design or programming, and more. Digital trade is a key subset of the broader digital economy, focusing specifically on international commercial transactions enabled by digital means. Global exports of digitally delivered services reached US$ 3.82 trillion in 2022, an almost fourfold increase in value since 2005, and accounted for 54 percent of total services exports, according to a joint report from the World Bank and World Trade Organization. For developing economies in particular, digital trade offers new pathways for existing firms, particularly small and medium enterprises, to access global markets and boost their competitiveness by adopting the latest innovations in production technologies. It also creates new opportunities for firms that provide services related to, for example, business-process outsourcing and digital platforms and that employ many young people.

• Yet as technology advances rapidly, the legal frameworks that govern digital trade are often incomplete, outdated, or missing altogether. To provide transparency and address these regulatory gaps, the World Bank Trade Team launched the Digital Trade Regulatory Readiness (DTRR) database, the first global initiative to systematically map the regulatory foundations of digital trade. The DTRR database helps identify where legal frameworks support digital trade—and where reforms are needed to unlock its potential. The database covers 121 economies, 95 of them developing, and compiles more than 13,000 data points across more than 5,200 legal provisions. Data are drawn from national legislation, regulations, and policy frameworks; users can see not only what laws are in place, but how they are written and implemented. Crucially, every entry can be traced to a specific legal provision, ensuring full transparency and reliability. The data can be viewed through an interactive dashboard, and the full dataset can be downloaded for deeper analysis…”