Miller Magazine Issue: 135 March 2021

18 NEWS MILLER / march 2021 In 2018, a group of leading global agribusinesses came together with a goal of employ- ing cutting-edge digital technology to modernise global agricultural shipping transac- tions for the benefit of the entire industry. On February 25th, the Covantis initiative announced the launch of its revolutionary platform. Covantis launches blockchain platform for global commodities trade “Two years ago, we set out on a journey to trans- form a system of global trade that had changed very little for the last century. It’s been an exciting pro- cess, as we advanced from identifying this crucial need, to working with industry participants across the supply chain to explore and understand the ne- eds of the market, to building a secure and trusted digital network. Today, we’re proud to launch our industry-changing digital platform in time for the beginning of the Brazilian export season. We look forward to working with our partners to use this te- chnology to enhance efficiencies and reduce opera- tional risk in this first key market,” said Petya Secha- nova, CEO of Covantis. Incorporated as an independent legal entity in Ge- neva, Switzerland, in March 2020, Covantis partne- red with market-leading technology providers like ConsenSys, its leading technical supplier, as well as Microsoft Azure Cloud and Cognizant, leveraging their solutions and services to deliver an innovative, best-in-class technology platform to transform global trade operations for agricultural commodities. The platform’s initial scope covers the shipment and execution of bulk commodities such as corn and soybeans from Brazil to any worldwide destination, optimising export trade execution processes by con- necting shippers, traders and charterers. Initial users of the platform include Covantis’ founding members - ADM, Bunge, Cargill, COFCO, Louis Dreyfus Company and Viterra - with hundre- ds of users from over 30 entities around the world who have been trained and onboarded virtually. In the coming months, Covantis will work to enlarge its network of participating companies and onboard the majority of industry players active in these flows. “The company will continue to invest in building new capabilities that increase value for its clients from origin to destination, thus creating a global network for efficient execution of bulk commodities trade operations,” Covantis said. Petya Sechanova