Global commerce is increasingly complex. Shifting tariffs, evolving regulations, and supply chains that sometimes seem to move according to their own mysterious logic can leave even the savviest SMEs scratching their heads. In fact, if there were a Global Tariff and Paperwork Apocalypse (GTPA) ranking, many small businesses might feel they’re perpetually on the leaderboard.
2025 has tested the resilience of every SME — from supply chain shocks to shifting trade rules and unpredictable markets.
If your team has been in survival mode, you’re not alone. The challenge now is turning survival into stability.
Are you an SME ready to navigate the complexities of international trade and logistics? The SME Survival Toolkit equips your business with essential knowledge, practical tools, and recognised credentials to thrive in the global marketplace.
Are you an SME ready to conquer the complexities of international trade and logistics? The SME Logistics Survival Kit is designed just for you—a comprehensive, flexible package that equips you with the knowledge, tools, and credentials to thrive in the global marketplace.
Modern agriculture often draws on high-tech inputs and monocultures, but globally, Indigenous and traditional farming systems continue to show how deeply rooted ecological knowledge can deliver sustainable productivity — and even become part of international trade. Across continents, communities are reviving ancestral methods, stewarding biodiversity, and producing unique crops that command niche markets around the world.
Pollinators’ contributions extend beyond crop yields; they also produce honey, a product that combines economic value, cultural significance, and ecological insight. Often called “liquid gold,” honey reflects the health of the ecosystems from which it comes and the skill of those who cultivate it.
As global agriculture faces rising pressures from climate change, habitat loss, and growing populations, technology is emerging as a vital tool to support pollinators.
Advanced solutions are transforming how we monitor, manage, and even supplement pollinator activity, bridging ecological needs with human innovation.
If you sell, source, ship, assemble, or distribute products across borders, you’re probably focused on the things that feel most immediate: logistics, supplier pricing, margins, product listings, packaging, and delivery timelines.
Modern science increasingly validates what Indigenous and traditional communities have known for centuries: pollinators thrive when human practices work in harmony with nature.
Across the globe, these communities have developed sustainable practices that maintain biodiversity, protect habitats, and optimise agricultural cycles.
Introduction
SMEs are engines of job creation, innovation, and income generation. They often employ youth and women, providing pathways out of poverty and reducing inequality. Their experimental capacity drives local innovation, with successful practices often scaling into broader markets.
Pollinators are the silent partners in agriculture and global trade, yet their protection requires deliberate action from both policymakers and industry leaders.
Securing the future of pollination means integrating ecological stewardship directly into trade and agricultural systems.
Part 1 — Backbone: Why SMEs Matter Everywhere
Introduction
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the engine room of every economy—they make up most firms, create most jobs, and link local production to global markets. Protecting and enabling SMEs is central to resilient, inclusive trade. They operate across every sector, from manufacturing to tech to services, underpinning economic diversity and local resilience.
Chile Pacific Foundation Hosts Webinar on Strengthening Chile–Australia Collaboration
The Chile Pacific Foundation is pleased to invite participants to an insightful webinar dedicated to exploring the full potential for collaboration, trade, and investment between Chile and Australia. This special event comes at a significant moment, as both nations celebrate the 80th anniversary of their diplomatic relations—an ideal backdrop for renewed dialogue and future-focused partnerships.
Over the past weekend, Australia experienced a notable shift in its trade landscape. The United States lifted tariffs on more than 200 food products, including Australian beef, while the Albanese government advanced its internal agenda to abolish hundreds of low-revenue “nuisance tariffs.” Together, these developments underscore a growing commitment to open trade and economic efficiency, promising opportunities for exporters and cost reductions for domestic businesses.
Argentina has faced recurring economic crises, leading to repeated interventions by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Since joining the IMF in 1956, the country has participated in approximately 23 financial arrangements, among the highest globally. The most recent program, approved on 11 April 2025, established a US$20 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to stabilise the economy amid high inflation and a depreciating peso.
Pollinators are indispensable to both ecosystems and economies, yet they face a growing array of threats. Climate change, habitat loss, pesticides, and diseases—including Colony Collapse Disorder—are taking a toll on bee populations worldwide.
The implications extend far beyond the hive, reaching into the heart of global agriculture and trade.
Pollinators are not only the unseen workforce behind the world’s crops—they are sometimes literally commodities in the global economy.
Bees, transported across continents in carefully managed shipments, highlight a fascinating intersection between ecology and commerce, where living creatures become essential cargo sustaining agriculture worldwide.
Pollinators are far more than the gentle agents of flowers—they are vital engines of the global economy.
By transferring pollen from plant to plant, bees, butterflies, and other pollinating species underpin agricultural productivity and international trade, translating their ecological work directly into billions of dollars in economic value.
Exploring Nature and Connections to Global Trade
The Bee Series explores the intersections between nature, ecosystems, and global trade, highlighting their relevance to the 2026 Festival of Inclusive Trade and the global climate and biodiversity agendas. Bees provide a unique lens to examine how ecological systems underpin food security, commerce, and supply chains. Through their journeys and pollination work, we see the deep interconnections between natural systems and trade networks—and why protecting these connections matters to economies, communities, and the planet.
In today’s interconnected world, Governments and industry need innovative platforms that bring together diverse stakeholders—policymakers, business leaders, creative professionals, and community representatives—to collaborate on shared priorities.
The Festival of Inclusive Trade demonstrates the power of such an approach. By creating Showcase Days, the Festival offers a curated, high-impact forum that integrates sector-specific panels, workshops, keynote dialogues, and cultural presentations. These events provide governments with a mechanism to advance policy objectives, while enabling industry and business to contribute practical expertise, drive innovation, and form strategic partnerships.
Supply-chain watchers and global trade enthusiasts — here is your latest snapshot of what’s shaking the world of goods, ports, and pipelines. Over the last four days, we’ve seen movements that could ripple across every port, warehouse, and boardroom from New York to Nairobi. Let’s break it down.
Did you know if you are in the US your favourite Italian pasta could soon cost a lot more in the U.S.? Recent trade decisions are creating ripples all the way from Rome to your pantry.
The Bee Series explores the intersections between nature, ecosystems, and global trade, highlighting their relevance to COP30 and the 2026 Festival of Inclusive Trade. As nations gather at COP30 to advance climate action, biodiversity conservation, and resilient food systems, bees offer a tangible lens to examine how ecological health underpins both environmental and economic sustainability.
This disclaimer (https://shorturl.at/l6Nhzis) a textbook example of an essential tool in your E-Commerce Survival Toolkit for U.S. customers, hitting the perfect balance between legal precision, operational clarity, and customer-friendly communication:
Event: Trade between Chile and Thailand: Opportunities for Growth in ASEAN
Date: Nov 4, 2025
Host: Chile Pacific Foundation
Register: here
Trade isn’t just for the big players. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of global economies—and the key to making trade truly inclusive. Yet, despite decades of globalisation, benefits of international trade often bypass small businesses, women entrepreneurs, Indigenous communities, and other historically underserved groups. It’s like throwing a party and forgetting to invite half the guests. Inclusive trade policy fixes that.
Regional Achievements & Trade Upgrades
· ASEAN leaders reaffirmed commitments to trade integration, digital and green economy growth, and supply-chain resilience under the summit theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability.”
· The bloc welcomed East Timor as its newest member — first expansion since the 1990s.
· ASEAN completed upgrades to major trade agreements:
o ACFTA 3.0 with China (covering digital economy and green industries).
o ATIGA Protocol 2, reinforcing intra-ASEAN trade.
The GTPA is thrilled to announce the return of the Festival of Inclusive Trade for 2026! After a brief pause, the Festival is back reaffirming our commitment to building a more inclusive, sustainable and trusted global trading system. Returning to its online-only format, the 2026 Festival will take place over two impactful weeks in March 2026, welcoming a vibrant mix of voices from across the world.
Global trade has entered a period defined by complexity, volatility, digital acceleration, and rising customer expectations. Supply chain disruptions have surged—skyrocketing nearly 500% during the pandemic era—and even in 2024–2025, businesses continue to face geopolitical tensions, inflationary pressures, stricter compliance rules, growing e-commerce competition, and fragmented supply routes. At the same time, cross-border e-commerce continues to expand, with global online sales projected to surpass US$6 trillion in the mid-2020s.
In our last article, we explored how migrant entrepreneurs power small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), foster innovation, and sustain global trade. Today, we dive into real-life examples that show this impact in action—proof that diversity, resilience, and creativity are the engines of economic growth.
The world of global trade is both exciting and unpredictable. For small and medium-sized businesses, and online sellers, it’s a landscape filled with incredible opportunity—but also challenges that can test even the most experienced entrepreneurs. From supply chain disruptions and rising logistics costs to changing customer expectations and complex trade regulations, navigating this environment requires more than ambition—it requires knowledge, strategy, and foresight.
In 2025, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face a turbulent global shipping landscape marked by unpredictable cost fluctuations. Geopolitical tensions and shifting trade policies have introduced significant volatility, making it challenging for SMEs to maintain stable cash flow and operational efficiency.
Every autumn, millions of monarch butterflies take to the skies, leaving the forests of North America to travel thousands of miles to the mountains of central Mexico. Their journey is dangerous—storms, predators, and exhaustion all threaten to halt them—but they move forward anyway, drawn by the promise of survival and continuity. Their wings are a quiet testament to resilience, persistence, and the invisible threads that connect ecosystems across continents.
SMEs are the heartbeat of our economies. They create jobs. Build communities. Fuel dreams.
But here’s what’s often overlooked: migrants have been the secret engine behind many of these businesses. From 19th-century marketplaces to today’s global tech hubs, migrant entrepreneurs have turned challenges into opportunity.
(Week ending 17 October 2025 — verified, sourced & globally aligned)
If last week was “Trade Wars: The Sequel,” this one felt more like “Fast & Furious — Tariff Drift.” From Washington to Beijing, New Delhi to Wellington, the trade headlines were full of big moves, bold statements, and a few diplomatic facepalms.
Here’s your fact-checked, espresso-fuelled global trade wrap.
At the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) meeting in London, a significant setback occurred for global climate initiatives as the proposed global carbon tax on shipping emissions was delayed by a year. This decision came after intense lobbying from the United States, and support from countries like Saudi Arabia.
(Week ending 5 October 2025 — verified, sourced, and only mildly caffeinated)
If you thought the global trade landscape was finally calming down… think again.
This update is just from the week ending 5 October, but another round of tariff moves, currency plays, and strategic alliances that kept policymakers — and supply chains — on edge.
In the past fortnight, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) worldwide have navigated a dynamic landscape of export opportunities, regulatory shifts, and technological advancements.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are reshaping global trade in 2025 with creativity, resilience, and innovation. From Finland’s €3.6 billion gaming exports to Vietnamese coffee cooperatives brewing global success, SMEs are proving that local ideas can capture international markets. This month’s trade highlights showcase how businesses across every continent—whether producing wine in South Africa, maple syrup in Canada, or sustainable cosmetics in New Zealand—are leveraging heritage, sustainability, and technology to scale globally. Together, these stories illustrate how SMEs are not just competing in global trade—they’re leading it.
Botswana, traditionally known as Africa's diamond powerhouse, is making a strategic pivot. In September 2025, the government unveiled a citizenship-by-investment program aimed at reducing its heavy reliance on diamond exports and fostering economic diversification.