Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership
The FIT Partnership is a grouping of 20 small and medium-sized, trade-dependent countries located across different regions and geographies that seeks to advocate for open, predictable, rules-based and fair trade, enhance investment flows, and facilitate collaborative solutions which are vital to their prosperity and growth.
Last updated on 12 November 2026
Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership
Launched on 16 September 2025, the FIT Partnership was conceived with a forward-looking agenda to address emerging challenges and opportunities in trade and investment and to promote dialogue between public and private stakeholders.
The FIT Partnership is a grouping of 20 small and medium-sized, trade-dependent countries located across different regions and geographies that seeks to advocate for open, predictable, rules-based and fair trade, enhance investment flows, and facilitate collaborative solutions which are vital to their prosperity and growth.
Current members of the FIT Partnership include Brunei, Chile, Costa Rica, Fiji, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay. The co-convenors of the FIT Partnership are New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.
The FIT Partnership operates on the principle of “flexible geometry”, where unanimous consensus is not needed to move forward on initiatives, allowing members that are ready to proceed first while leaving space for others to join later.
The FIT Partnership complements existing agreements and multilateral platforms such as the WTO. It serves as an incubator to bring fresh concepts into global conversations and develop solutions that are practical, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of businesses and citizens. The FIT Partnership can also be a catalyst to spur innovation that can be scaled up to support the rules-based multilateral trading system.
Singapore and the FIT Partnership
Trade is existential for Singapore and accounts for more than three times our GDP. As a small and open economy, we remain fundamentally dependent on global trade flows and must maintain our openness to the international economy.
A predictable, open and forward oriented rules-based trading system is critical for Singapore’s growth and development. This is why Singapore strongly advocates for the FIT Partnership: it provides countries like ours with a vital platform to connect with partners to deliver concrete, practical outcomes that advance international trade cooperation.
FIT Partnership initiatives and workstreams
The FIT Partnership is currently advancing trade cooperation through five key initiatives.
Strengthening supply chain resilience
FIT Partnership members seek to enhance cooperation and coordination to mitigate major supply chain risks and disruptions with the objective of maintaining stable, transparent and resilient supply chains. These efforts are especially important for small, medium and trade-dependent countries that have a disproportionate stake in preserving the free flow of goods during a crisis.
Advancing digital and paperless trade
This workstream aims to drive the adoption of international standards and legislation to facilitate seamless digital trade documentation and paperless transactions across borders. Through workshops to build capacity and understanding, engagements with international organisations and pilots, this initiative streamlines trade by enhancing efficiency and harmonisation across borders, minimising unnecessary barriers to trade and promoting inclusive growth.
Leveraging technology to address current challenges in trade
This workstream harnesses digital technologies to facilitate trade and investment in close collaboration with the private sector. The aim is to support the development of selected technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and regulatory technology to streamline supply chains, facilitate cross-border trade and investment, and increase inclusive participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in global trade.
Strengthening the rules-based trading system
This workstream focuses on strengthening the rules-based trading system at a systemic level. It serves as a platform for members to design and pilot practical ideas, from improving decision-making to advancing modern trade rules, to demonstrate how cooperation can work in practice in a plurilateral setting. It can also act as a launchpad for new sector-specific or thematic initiatives that could evolve into dedicated standalone workstreams if they gain traction. Successful approaches can then be scaled up at broader multilateral platforms, including the WTO.
Cooperation on Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs)
This initiative provides a framework for members to take practical steps to tackle NTBs, with an initial scope on technical barriers to trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS). The concept involves coordinating the identification, tracking, and resolution of NTBs through joint action among members and the initiative is intended to introduce mechanisms of cooperation such as joint dialogue with other WTO members, utilising relevant FTA channels, and coordinated lobbying efforts across relevant multilateral fora to address NTBs.