Trade in transition 2025

Boardroom conversations have changed markedly over the past decade. Trade and supply chains, once niche concerns, are now often on corporate agendas, as businesses worldwide are grappling with disruptions to their procurement, production and logistics operations. The culprits are many: trade wars, geopolitical tensions, climate events and a global pandemic. In 2024 alone, bridges collapsed, earthquakes struck, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East raged, US-China tensions rose, EU-China relations soured and Donald Trump was re-elected as the president of America. Looking ahead to 2025, many of the challenges to trade will persist and new ones will undoubtedly emerge. However, businesses are not retreating from international trade, they are stepping up.

There are reasons for optimism. Companies are finding ways to navigate political fragmentation, while technologies such as artificial intelligence are improving efficiency and opening up new opportunities for growth. Those that adapt quickly to these shifting dynamics will set themselves apart from their competitors. In this fifth edition of Trade in Transition, we continue exploring how businesses perceive and respond to the new era of globalisation.