ADB Digital Learning Labs Opportunity: Using Blockchain for National Single-window Digital Platform in Mongolia

Submit your blockchain-based solution to develop a National Single Window digital platform.

groups

Teams of
2 - 5 people

The Challenge

Certificate of Origins (CoO) are documents widely used in international trade transactions which attests that the product listed therein has met certain criteria to be considered as originating in a particular country. The Mongolian Chamber of Commerce is responsible for issuing certificates of origin which are issued for various preferential schemes, preferential trade agreements and free trade agreements in Mongolia.

Most of Mongolia's trading partners have online databases of certificates of origin, through which another party can verify the authenticity of a certificate or make an online request. One can find information about CoO by entering the certificate number, account number, or serial number and security code, as required on the websites.

Since there are no online databases of certificates of origin in Mongolia, in case of inconsistencies, Mongolian exporters need to contact the Chamber of Commerce and Industry or the Customs Chamber so that they can confirm the authenticity of their certificates of origin. This entails additional costs for Mongolian exporters, which greatly affects their competitive advantage. There is a lack of interoperability, trustworthiness in data, and limited portability of data. An online database would reduce administrative processes, creating a single electronic platform where standardized information will only need to be submitted once.

ADB wants to hear your company’s proposal for a blockchain-based Single-window online database of Certificates of Origin based on the Customs Administration of Mongolia.

Refer to these project-related documents for more information.

This opportunity is under the ADB Digital Learning Labs Program. Click here to learn more about available opportunities in the program.

Expected Deliverables

The blockchain solution must allow parties to assert the proof of country of origin of goods on a shared, distributed ledger. It must support efficient data exchange where importers and producers can efficiently request COs from suppliers and suppliers can easily enter origin details in the system once, and transfer COs to all their customers in the same format.

Top-down Approach

A top-down approach must be adopted where only essential components contributing to the specific rule of origin criteria can be subjected to verification.

Reduce Compliance Costs

It must reduce compliance costs with trade programs and the need for manual reconciliation and duplicative data entry

Limit Access to Data

Access to documentation and sensitive data can be limited to certain authorized stakeholders.