The systems that support global trade are being reshaped - not just by technology, but by the speed at which it’s evolving. AI, quantum, and privacy-enhancing technologies are no longer on the horizon; they’re here. The challenge now is how to govern them.
That’s what future-proofing trade really means - creating space to adapt policy and delivery as the world changes.
At NayaOne, we’ve seen this shift first-hand through our work on the World Economic Forum’s TradeTech Sandbox, delivered with the UAE Ministry of Economy and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Economic Development. It wasn’t about innovation theatre - it was about execution infrastructure: structured, safe environments where regulators, enterprises, and vendors could test and shape real solutions together.
That same model - proven in trade - is now being extended to the UK’s marine economy, a sector worth £49.4 billion annually.
What Worked: Lessons from the TradeTech Sandbox
The TradeTech Sandbox brought together stakeholders across the MENA region to run structured experiments in digital trade - testing everything from AI-driven logistics and smart documentation to digital identity and trade finance flows.
What made it effective wasn’t the use cases. It was the structure:
•Safe experimentation with real data and workflows
•API-first onboarding, enabling rapid vendor integration and testing
•Multi-market engagement, from regulators to large corporates •Direct feedback loops into trade standards and frameworks
And the outcomes weren’t just academic. Sandbox participants have been shown to raise 47% more capital, survive longer, and file significantly more patents than peers. These are not pilots - they’re delivery tools.
Why It Matters: Transforming the Marine Economy
The UK’s marine sector is entering a new phase of regulatory modernisation.
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the UK Major Ports Group (UKMPG) are piloting a sandbox approach to digitise, streamline, and de-risk the marine licensing process - a critical step for one of the UK’s most strategically important industries.
It reflects a broader shift already underway across regulated sectors:
→ Simulated environments that mirror real-world licensing journeys end-to-end
→ Cross-sector collaboration between regulators, operators, and technology vendors
→ Smart integration of AI risk models, geospatial tools, and ESG analytics
→ Policy insight loops that connect experimental sandboxes with long-term reform
This is where regulatory transformation moves from concept to execution - using infrastructure and experimentation to unlock change at scale.
The Bigger Picture: Future-Proofing Trade Policy
As global trade evolves under the weight of digitisation, decarbonisation, and increasing geopolitical and technological disruption, five areas are becoming critical for policy development:
1.Trade agreements must account for emerging technologies.
Modern trade deals should be designed to flex as technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) and quantum computing mature - avoiding the need for constant renegotiation.
2. AI in trade and logistics must be governed from the start
The use of AI in supply chains and trade finance is growing fast - but without early-stage rules, we risk regulatory catch-up and fragmented oversight later.
3. Quantum security and cyber resilience need practical investment.
It’s no longer enough to plan for quantum-era risks on paper. Governments and trade bodies need to support live testing environments and infrastructure to prepare.
4. PETs are key to cross-border data compliance.
Technologies like federated learning and zero-knowledge proofs help enable secure, compliant data flows between jurisdictions - a growing need in digital trade.
5. Shared testbeds can replace outdated policy pilots.
Multilateral coordination is increasingly built around shared infrastructure (such as sandboxes or test environments), where countries can experiment together, not just agree on frameworks.
Future-proofing trade means embedding these capabilities into how we regulate, not just how we innovate.
From TradeTech to TideTech
What started as a financial innovation tool is becoming critical infrastructure for governance and growth.
The sandbox model helps countries:
• Move faster, without compromising oversight
• Build smarter regulation grounded in evidence, not abstraction
• Scale technology with trust - from trade corridors to tidal zones
As the UK positions itself for net-zero infrastructure and next-generation trade agreements, these capabilities are no longer optional - they’re foundational. If you're shaping how the UK regulates, governs, or grows the infrastructure of tomorrow - let’s build together.
techUK International Policy and Trade Programme activities
techUK supports members with their international trade plans and aspirations. We help members to understand market opportunities, tackle market access barriers, and build partnerships in their target market. Visit the programme page here.
techUK Report - Enabling Growth and Resilience: the UK Tech Sector in an Uncertain World
New techUK report outlines key policy recommendations to boost the UK’s growth through the tech sector amid global challenges, emphasising resilience, trade leadership, and strategic investment.
Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
Sabina Ciofu is Associate Director – International, running the International Policy and Trade Programme at techUK.
Based in Brussels, she leads our EU policy and engagement. She is also our lead on international trade policy, with a focus on digital trade chapter in FTAs, regulatory cooperation as well as broader engagement with the G7, G20, WTO and OECD.
As a transatlanticist at heart, Sabina is a GMF Marshall Memorial fellow and issue-lead on the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, within DigitalEurope.
Previously, she worked as Policy Advisor to a Member of the European Parliament for almost a decade, where she specialised in tech regulation, international trade and EU-US relations.
Sabina loves building communities and bringing people together. She is the founder of the Gentlewomen’s Club and co-organiser of the Young Professionals in Digital Policy. Previously, as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, she led several youth civic engagement and gender equality projects.
She sits on the Advisory Board of the University College London European Institute, Café Transatlantique, a network of women in transatlantic technology policy and The Nine, Brussels’ first members-only club designed for women.
Sabina holds an MA in War Studies from King’s College London and a BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge.
Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Daniel Clarke
Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Dan joined techUK as a Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade in March 2023.
Before techUK, Dan worked for data and consulting company GlobalData as an analyst of tech and geopolitics. He has also worked in public affairs, political polling, and has written freelance for the New Statesman and Investment Monitor.
Dan has a degree in MSc International Public Policy from University College London, and a BA Geography degree from the University of Sussex.
Outside of work, Dan is a big fan of football, cooking, going to see live music, and reading about international affairs.
Theo joined techUK in 2024 as EU Policy Manager. Based in Brussels, he works on our EU policy and engagement.
Theo is an experienced policy adviser who has helped connect EU and non-EU decision makers.
Prior to techUK, Theo worked at the EU delegation to Australia, the Israeli trade mission to the EU, and the City of London Corporation’s Brussels office. In his role, Theo ensures that techUK members are well-informed about EU policy, its origins, and its implications, while also facilitating valuable input to Brussels-based decision-makers.
Theo holds and LLM in International and European law, and an MA in European Studies, both from the University of Amsterdam.
Lewis' programmes cover a range of policy areas within Market Access (international trade regulation, sanctions and export controls, technical standards and product compliance, supply chains) and Consumer Tech (media and broadcast policy, consumer electronics, and connected home technology).
Prior to joining techUK, Lewis worked in government affairs and policy roles for international trade associations in Southeast Asia including the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia.
He holds an undergraduate degree in Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Public Policy & Management from SOAS University of London.
Tess joined techUK as an Policy and Public Affairs Team Assistant in November of 2024. In this role, she supports areas such as administration, member communications and media content.
Before joining the Team, she gained experience working as an Intern in both campaign support for MPs and Councilors during the 2024 Local and General Election, and working for the Casimir Pulaski Foundation on defence and international secuirty. She has worked for multiple charities, on issues such as the climate crisis, educational inequality and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). In 2023, Tess obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Politics and International Relations from the University of Nottingham.
