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CML Working Paper: Platform Power And Contractual Risk Allocation In Digital Trade: Electronic Bill Of Lading Platforms As A Case Study

October 20, 2026 | Research

Abstract

As digital trade increasingly relies on supply-chain platforms, their role in enabling transactions deserves closer legal attention. Supply-chain platforms are often described primarily as technology providers. Why are they viewed in this way and how far is that description accurate? A closer examination shows that they are not merely technology providers, but may have power over digital trade. If so, does the existing allocation of risk reflect the power they actually have, and to what extent? Where risk allocation does reflect that power, there is little space to argue. Where it does not, what reasons can explain the mismatch? More broadly, examining these questions provides a deeper understanding of the role of supply-chain platforms in digital trade.

Existing research explains how eBL systems work and how platform rules organise participants, but not what power platforms have or how far contractual risk allocation reflects it. Drawing on the rulebooks, terms of use and operational materials of Bolero, WaveBL and CargoX, the paper examines platform power across status, intervention and continuity, and then compares that power with the contractual allocation of risk.
Keywords: Electronic Bills of Lading, Supply-Chain Platforms, Platform Power, Contractual Risk Allocation, Reliable Systems, Digital Trade
For more information about the author, visit her web profile here.