Tajikistan has proposed a “Single Digital Trade Footprint” concept aimed at digitalizing cross-border trade across Central Asia. Its core principle is straightforward: 1 order → 1 e-invoice → 1 digital footprint.
The concept was discussed on September 28 in Dushanbe at the Central Asian Digital Trade Forum, which brought together representatives of government agencies, international organizations, banks, businesses, technology companies, marketplaces and logistics operators. One of the main topics was replacing paper-based procedures with digital data exchange and improving interoperability between national systems.
Under the proposed model, information about a trade transaction would be entered once and then reused by different systems, including tax and customs authorities, banks, transport companies and logistics platforms.
For example, after a company creates an order, its information could be transferred to an electronic invoice and then reused for payment, customs procedures and transportation documentation. Instead of preparing and submitting the same information repeatedly, the transaction would generate a connected digital record that follows it through the trade process.
Farhod Habibzoda, an economic adviser to the President of Tajikistan, highlighted digital infrastructure, online services and the integration of national systems as key priorities for developing digital trade.
Emmanuelle Ganne, Head of the World Trade Organization’s work on digital trade and advanced technologies, said that an international trade transaction involves an average of 36 documents and 240 copies. This makes interoperability between digital systems increasingly important: simply converting paper documents into electronic files does not eliminate the underlying duplication of information.
According to UN data presented at the forum, Central Asian countries have implemented around 70% of paperless trade measures. However, implementation falls to approximately 55% for more complex cross-border measures.
The next stage could include integrating e-invoices with tax and customs systems, introducing e-CMR and other electronic transport documents, expanding digital payments, connecting marketplaces through APIs and developing digital logistics corridors.
The “Single Digital Trade Footprint” is not limited to digitizing processes within Tajikistan. Its broader objective is to make the digital trade systems of Central Asian countries compatible with one another.
For this to work, e-invoices, transport documents, certificates, permits, customs data and payment information need to be able to move between systems without requiring companies to repeatedly enter the same data.
This could become particularly relevant for regional trade, where goods cross several borders and the same transaction may involve multiple customs, banking, logistics and regulatory systems.
Tajikistan is also pursuing this direction through its 2025–2029 e-commerce development program, which focuses on expanding electronic commerce, reducing trade costs and simplifying trade procedures.
The discussion in Dushanbe therefore points to a broader shift in the region: the next stage of digital trade may depend less on creating new standalone platforms and more on making existing systems communicate with each other.
