PayCargo was on the ground in Hobart for the IFCBAA 2026 National Conference, hosted by the International Forwarders and Customs Brokers Association of Australia Limited (IFCBAA). It was a few days of strong conversations, informative panels, and a clear direction on where the Australian freight forwarding and customs broking industry is heading.
Three takeaways stood out, and they’re shaping how PayCargo is thinking about the industry’s road ahead in Australia.
1. Digital adoption momentum is real — and accelerating
Conversations across the floor made one thing clear: the industry is no longer debating whether to digitalize. It’s debating how fast. The trajectory is set, and the energy around it has shifted from cautious curiosity to genuine urgency.
2. Bill of lading digitalization is hitting an inflection point
Discussions with the major shipping lines reinforced just how seriously the sector is leaning into eBL adoption. Carrier timelines, evolving legal frameworks, and growing trade finance acceptance are all pushing in the same direction, and the commercial case is becoming harder to ignore. For Australian forwarders, the shift is global in nature, and its effects will be felt through the carriers and trading partners they work with.
3. AI is everywhere, and the conversation is maturing
Simone Peacock, Sales Director of APAC at PayCargo, joined the panel The Future of AI in Our Industry. The discussion reflected something happening across the sector: AI use has become near-universal, and the next stage of the conversation is about how to deploy it with intention.
Adoption has happened quickly, often in the same gradual way email became part of daily work. The question now is less about whether to use AI, and more about where it adds the most value for each organization.
Measurement is part of that. AI investment is often weighed against a P&L line, treated as a software cost set against a cost saving. That is a useful lens, but it captures only part of the picture.
One of the most meaningful returns from AI in logistics shows up in talent. Well-deployed AI changes the shape of the work. Repetitive tasks shrink, freeing up time for higher-value, more strategic activity. That shift supports how teams operate day to day and how the industry continues to attract and develop the people building careers in it.
That outcome doesn’t sit neatly on a spreadsheet, but it shapes what the next chapter of logistics looks like.
PayCargo thanks the IFCBAA team for delivering a thoughtfully programmed conference and the wider community of attendees for their perspectives throughout the event.
Meet PayCargo at a future event.
