How trade compliance is moving beyond automation toward AI-driven decision infrastructure
14 Feb 20266 min read
Summary
- Compliance failures now ripple across just-in-time operations, reputations, and market access. As regulations, tariffs, and enforcement shift faster, compliance must manage volatility at scale rather than react after border disruptions occur.
- Generative AI is useful for explanation and drafting, but trade compliance demands deterministic, source-bound systems. Agentic AI, designed to execute workflows and pull from authoritative regulatory sources, enables reliable classification, documentation checks, and real-time regulatory monitoring.
- Compliance teams will increasingly supervise AI-driven processes, handle exceptions, and make judgment calls, turning compliance into a strategic enabler rather than a bottleneck.
The first inaugural webinar of the International Trade Trust Compliance Network (ITTC) opened with a timely provocation: trade compliance is one of the most misunderstood functions in cross-border trade, and it is about to change faster than most organizations are prepared for.Mike Yap, a trade compliance leader with more than 25 years of experience across strategic leadership and international markets, laid out a practical roadmap for what comes next. His message was that AI will not simply make compliance teams faster, but it will reshape how compliance work is structured, who does what, and what “good” looks like in a time of constant volatility.
Why trade compliance is hard even when you are doing it right
About Mike Yap
Mike Yap has over 25 years of experience in trade compliance, strategic leadership, and international market expansion. He has led teams supporting enterprises in navigating complex compliance requirements, scaling cross-border transactions, and implementing digital initiatives to strengthen trade operations. His background spans business analysis, consulting, and business intelligence, grounding his work in practical, data-driven execution. Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Media from Murdoch University.
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