afact

What afact does

AFACT (Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business) is a non-profit, non-governmental, voluntary, and independent regional organization that promotes trade facilitation, electronic business, and digital trade cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region. Founded in 1999 — succeeding the Asia EDIFACT Board (ASEB) established in 1990 — AFACT serves as the primary regional body for disseminating and implementing UN/CEFACT standards and recommendations. It coordinates 20 member economies across Asia-Pacific, including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, China, Chinese Taipei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a designated focal point organization in each country.

AFACT's core technology is centered on trade facilitation and electronic business standards rather than proprietary software. It promotes and implements UN/CEFACT standards, UN/EDIFACT (Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport), and ebXML (electronic business XML) frameworks for cross-border data exchange and interoperability. Notable platform initiatives include the BOSS Ecosystem (a cloud supply chain data transparency and exchange service) and a certified electronic document paperless platform developed with KISA. The organization operates through three committees — Business Domain Committee (BDC), Technology & Methodology Committee (TMC), and Community Support Committee (CSC) — and runs working groups across domains including Travel, Tour & Leisure, Sustainable Development & Circular Economy, and ESG (covering Carbon Footprint Verification, Agriculture ESG, MaaS, and Digital Product Passport projects).

AFACT operates a non-commercial model with no public pricing or revenue. It is sustained through member-based contributions, host country underwriting of annual plenary meetings, and support from the Commerce Development Research Institute (CDRI), which serves as the Permanent Secretariat since 2022. Key activities include annual plenary and mid-term meetings, the eASIA Awards program (147 projects participated in 2023), the AFACT Yearbook and publications, and international forums on digital economic cooperation. AFACT holds formal partnerships with UN/CEFACT, UNESCAP (liaison member), Pan Asian Digital Trade Alliance (PAA), and ASOCIO, and is governed by a Steering Committee comprising the Chairperson, Vice-Chairpersons, Regional Rapporteurs, and Heads of Delegation from member economies.

Name

afact

Legal name

Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business

Website

https://afact.asia

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Short description

AFACT is a non-profit regional organization promoting trade facilitation, electronic business, and digital trade standards across 20 Asia-Pacific member economies, serving as the primary regional body for UN/CEFACT standards implementation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Facilitation & Electronic Business Standards

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADANAG

Trade Facilitation, Customs & Border Regulatory Cooperation

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

Keywords

• Trade facilitation standards
• Electronic business standards
• Cross-border data exchange
• Digital trade policy
• UN/CEFACT implementation

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AFACT is a non-profit regional organization that promotes the development and implementation of trade facilitation and electronic business policies across the Asia-Pacific region, primarily through dissemination of UN/CEFACT, UN/EDIFACT, and ebXML standards. It convenes 20 member economies through working committees (Business Domain Committee, Technology & Methodology Committee, Community Support Committee), annual plenary and mid-term meetings, the eASIA Awards program, and publications such as the AFACT Yearbook to harmonize cross-border trade procedures and data exchange.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 147 projects participated in eASIA Awards 2023, with 78 projects selected for outstanding performance in trade facilitation and digital transformation
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• UN/CEFACT (United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN/CEFACT is the primary international partner for AFACT. AFACT promotes UN/CEFACT standards and recommendations within the Asia-Pacific region. AFACT coordinates with UN/CEFACT to achieve its mission, and prominent AFACT leaders serve as registered experts of UN/CEFACT participating in its activities and initiatives.
• UNESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNESCAP is a liaison member of AFACT and provides coordination on trade facilitation implementation and capacity building within the Asia-Pacific region. AFACT shares expertise and experience with UNESCAP regarding trade facilitation activities.
• Pan Asian Digital Trade Alliance (PAA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAA is an associate member of AFACT, working collaboratively on digital trade initiatives and standardization efforts across the Asia-Pacific region.
• The Asian-Oceanic Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO)Strategic or Co-development PartnerASOCIO is listed as a partner organization, contributing to trade facilitation and electronic business development across the Asia-Pacific region.
• Commerce Development Research Institute (CDRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDRI serves as the Permanent Secretariat of AFACT since November 2025. CDRI is a national-level think tank dedicated to advancing service innovation and supporting Taiwan's economic transformation. CDRI coordinates AFACT activities, manages communications, and supports member countries.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• International Trade Centre (ITC): ITC supports SME trade competitiveness globally and intersects with AFACT's digital transformation for SMEs agenda in the Asia-Pacific region.
• World Trade Organization (WTO): WTO drives multilateral trade facilitation agreements (e.g., TFA) and works on cross-border digital trade rules parallel to AFACT's regional scope.
• GS1: GS1 maintains global supply chain identification and data standards that complement AFACT's cross-border data exchange frameworks for trade facilitation.
• ICC Digital Standards Initiative (DSI): The International Chamber of Commerce's Digital Standards Initiative is a competing global effort to digitize trade rules, overlapping with AFACT's mandate in Asia-Pacific.
• UN/CEFACT: The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business is AFACT's primary international partner and the global source of standards AFACT disseminates across Asia-Pacific.
• World Customs Organization (WCO): WCO sets global customs standards and data models that overlap with AFACT's cross-border data exchange frameworks for trade facilitation.

Direct peers

• Pan Asian Digital Trade Alliance (PAA): PAA is an AFACT associate member focused on digital trade initiatives and standardization across Asia-Pacific, sharing the same regional mandate.
• UNESCAP: UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific is a liaison member of AFACT and coordinates regional capacity building on trade facilitation and digital economy.
• ASOCIO: The Asian-Oceanic Computing Industry Organization is an AFACT partner addressing ICT and trade facilitation issues across the same Asia-Pacific membership.

Others

• UNCITRAL: The UN Commission on International Trade Law develops model laws for digital trade and electronic transferable records relevant to AFACT's cross-border electronic business work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about afact