The future of global trade, customs, tariffs, transhipment & digitalization 

Global trade is at a turning point.

Old trading institutions are being eroded, while tariff resets, the removal of de minimis exemptions, and customs systems under strain are reshaping how goods move across borders. The big question now: will the future bring deeper fragmentation, stronger regional blocs, or an entirely new framework for world trade?

In The Freight Buyers’ Club podcast Ep52, Mike King is joined by three leading voices in global customs and trade:

• Cindy Allen – CEO, Trade Force Multiplier and former Executive Director at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
• Greg Nichols – SVP Global Customs Solutions, DHL Global Forwarding
• Stephen Tracey – Joint General Manager, Europe, WiseTech Global

They unpack:

✅ The U.S. tariff reset and CBP under pressure

✅ Compliance challenges from bonds to lawsuits

✅ Transhipment rules explained and enforced

✅ Europe’s Brexit aftershocks and new customs reforms

✅ Asia’s response through RCEP, BRICS and China+1 strategies

✅ How digitalisation and AI are reshaping compliance and enforcement

This is more than a customs story. It is about the future of global trade itself: the fractures, the risks, and the opportunities for those ready to adapt.