The Electronic Trade Documents Act was preceded, in 2022, by the UK Law Commission’s Report on electronic trade documents, which was the culmination of an extensive consultation process with stakeholders. The Act reflects the recommendations of the Law Commission that the law should be reformed so that certain electronic trade documents, including electronic bills of lading, can be recognised as having the same legal recognition and functionality as their paper counterparts.

In the form of the Singapore Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Act 2021. Both sets of legislation meet the requirements of the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR), a uniform model law adopted by the UN Commission on International Trade law (UNCITRAL) in 2018.