WBG: Unlocking digital trade: Database tracks global regulatory readiness
World Bank Blog
September 18, 2025
Martin Molinuevo & Nigorakhon Sadikova
Unlocking digital trade: Database tracks global regulatory readiness
In an increasingly connected world, digital trade is transforming how goods, services, and data move across borders. From online marketplaces and virtual professional services to cloud computing and digital payments, the digital economy represents a vital engine for growth and inclusion. Digital trade refers to trade in goods and services that are delivered digitally, including cross-border transactions conducted through digital platforms. It covers digitally delivered services such as online education, telehealth, cloud computing, freelance design or programming, and more. Digital trade is a key subset of the broader digital economy, focusing specifically on international commercial transactions enabled by digital means.
Global exports of digitally delivered services reached US$ 3.82 trillion in 2022, an almost fourfold increase in value since 2005, and accounted for 54 percent of total services exports, according to a joint report from the World Bank and World Trade Organization. For developing economies in particular, digital trade offers new pathways for existing firms, particularly small and medium enterprises, to access global markets and boost their competitiveness by adopting the latest innovations in production technologies. It also creates new opportunities for firms that provide services related to, for example, business-process outsourcing and digital platforms and that employ many young people.
Yet as technology advances rapidly, the legal frameworks that govern digital trade are often incomplete, outdated, or missing altogether. To provide transparency and address these regulatory gaps, the World Bank Trade Team launched the Digital Trade Regulatory Readiness (DTRR) database, the first global initiative to systematically map the regulatory foundations of digital trade. The DTRR database helps identify where legal frameworks support digital trade - and where reforms are needed to unlock its potential.
The database covers 121 economies, 95 of them developing, and compiles more than 13,000 data points across more than 5,200 legal provisions. Data are drawn from national legislation, regulations, and policy frameworks; users can see not only what laws are in place, but how they are written and implemented.
Crucially, every entry can be traced to a specific legal provision, ensuring full transparency and reliability. The data can be viewed through an interactive dashboard, and the full dataset can be downloaded for deeper analysis.
The database is built around three pillars:
September 18, 2025
Martin Molinuevo & Nigorakhon Sadikova
Unlocking digital trade: Database tracks global regulatory readiness
In an increasingly connected world, digital trade is transforming how goods, services, and data move across borders. From online marketplaces and virtual professional services to cloud computing and digital payments, the digital economy represents a vital engine for growth and inclusion. Digital trade refers to trade in goods and services that are delivered digitally, including cross-border transactions conducted through digital platforms. It covers digitally delivered services such as online education, telehealth, cloud computing, freelance design or programming, and more. Digital trade is a key subset of the broader digital economy, focusing specifically on international commercial transactions enabled by digital means.
Global exports of digitally delivered services reached US$ 3.82 trillion in 2022, an almost fourfold increase in value since 2005, and accounted for 54 percent of total services exports, according to a joint report from the World Bank and World Trade Organization. For developing economies in particular, digital trade offers new pathways for existing firms, particularly small and medium enterprises, to access global markets and boost their competitiveness by adopting the latest innovations in production technologies. It also creates new opportunities for firms that provide services related to, for example, business-process outsourcing and digital platforms and that employ many young people.
Yet as technology advances rapidly, the legal frameworks that govern digital trade are often incomplete, outdated, or missing altogether. To provide transparency and address these regulatory gaps, the World Bank Trade Team launched the Digital Trade Regulatory Readiness (DTRR) database, the first global initiative to systematically map the regulatory foundations of digital trade. The DTRR database helps identify where legal frameworks support digital trade - and where reforms are needed to unlock its potential.
The database covers 121 economies, 95 of them developing, and compiles more than 13,000 data points across more than 5,200 legal provisions. Data are drawn from national legislation, regulations, and policy frameworks; users can see not only what laws are in place, but how they are written and implemented.
Crucially, every entry can be traced to a specific legal provision, ensuring full transparency and reliability. The data can be viewed through an interactive dashboard, and the full dataset can be downloaded for deeper analysis.
The database is built around three pillars:
- Electronic transactions: Enabling legal recognition of e-signatures, digital contracts, and paperless trade systems.
- Trust-building regulation: Encompassing data protection, cybersecurity, online consumer rights, and nascent AI safeguards.
- Platform regulation: Addressing cross-border data transfers and intermediary liability for digital platforms.By cataloging these regulatory elements and assessing their quality, the DTRR provides a detailed snapshot of a country’s digital-trade readiness.
What initial insights does it offer? Broadly, it shows that the regulatory environment of developing countries often lags behind the modern and comprehensive digital trade frameworks of advanced economies belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Some further findings from our database include:
- Safeguards for personal data have quickly expanded along basic shared principles around the world. Over 80 percent of the countries reviewed have adopted regulations governing the management of personal data to protect users’ identities and privacy. This includes all high-income countries except the US and all but a handful of upper-middle income countries. Data protection regulations in lower-middle and low-income countries, while still widespread, remain poorly established. In South Asia, for example, only India has adopted extensive regulations on data protection.
- Data localization requirements and other restrictions are widespread, but their scope and depth vary across income levels. About half of the economies feature some restrictions on cross-border data flows, with those in OECD countries limited to financial or health data. In contrast, lower-middle and low-income economies impose more restrictive data localization laws. These include requirements to obtain government pre-approval for data transfers and to implement general data localizations on all personal data or data related to national security. Processing-based localization, which is more restrictive than storage-based, is also more common in lower-middle and low-income economies.
- E-signature laws are increasingly common, with over 40 percent of countries explicitly allowing for the recognition of foreign e-signatures. However, effective implementation and enforcement remain rare — particularly in developing economies, where interoperability challenges and varying legal definitions create barriers to cross-border recognition.
Regulation of intermediary liability is at an early stage in most developing countries. While some frameworks exist to regulate platforms for content shared by users or vendors, they often lack critical enforcement tools. For instance, mechanisms like “notice and take down” procedures or obligations to remove unlawful content are rarely found outside of advanced economies. In many developing countries, regulations remain fragmented or ambiguous, leaving platforms with limited clarity on their responsibilities and users with limited protection.
Even where basic frameworks exist—such as for e-signature or consumer protection—many developing countries rely on general laws that are not adapted to digital settings. This undermines legal clarity and limits enforceability. For example, e-signature laws may formally exist but lack mechanisms for cross-border recognition or secure digital authentication, reducing their utility in trade. Regulation may also be hampered by broader enforcement gaps, limited institutional capacity, and the absence of tailored digital provisions. As a result, issues like intermediary liability, AI governance, and cybersecurity are partially or inconsistently regulated, or in some cases entirely unregulated.
Who should use the DTRR—and how?
Even where basic frameworks exist—such as for e-signature or consumer protection—many developing countries rely on general laws that are not adapted to digital settings. This undermines legal clarity and limits enforceability. For example, e-signature laws may formally exist but lack mechanisms for cross-border recognition or secure digital authentication, reducing their utility in trade. Regulation may also be hampered by broader enforcement gaps, limited institutional capacity, and the absence of tailored digital provisions. As a result, issues like intermediary liability, AI governance, and cybersecurity are partially or inconsistently regulated, or in some cases entirely unregulated.
Who should use the DTRR—and how?
- Policymakers can benchmark national laws, track reform efforts, and prioritize areas for legal modernization.
- Private sector actors can assess regulatory environments when entering new digital markets.
- Development organizations can align technical assistance and lending operations with countries’ legal readiness.
- Academics and researchers can use it for empirical studies and comparative legal analysis.As countries work to build more resilient and inclusive economies, digital trade will play a central role. Realizing its benefits requires sound adequate legal foundations. The DTRR offers a roadmap to help countries identify opportunities, close regulatory gaps, and align their frameworks with international best practices. In doing so, it empowers governments, businesses, and citizens to participate more fully—and more securely—in the global digital economy.
➡️Access the Digital Trade Regulatory Readiness (DTRR) dashboard
➡️Download the accompanying report: Digital Trade Regulatory Readiness
This research was supported by the Umbrella Facility for Trade trust fund, which receives contributions from the governments of the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Read the full story: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/trade/unlocking-digital-trade--database-tracks-global-regulatory-readi
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➡️Download the accompanying report: Digital Trade Regulatory Readiness
This research was supported by the Umbrella Facility for Trade trust fund, which receives contributions from the governments of the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Read the full story: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/trade/unlocking-digital-trade--database-tracks-global-regulatory-readi