The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) has launched Identity Exchange; a digital solution designed to simplify and enhance business identity verification across the shipping and logistics industry.

DCSA, a neutral, non-profit industry group that develops digital standards for global container shipping, was founded by major ocean carriers including Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen, Yang Ming, HMM and ZIM.

It said that global trade relies on trust, but every new partnership begins from zero. "Organisations repeatedly perform compliance and KYC checks, collect documents, and verify identities across multiple jurisdictions. The process is slow, inconsistent, and costly, exposing the system to unnecessary risk," DCSA added.

The organization noted that Identity Exchange provides a trusted gateway to verified company information.

"It helps organisations improve data quality, reduce compliance risk, and accelerate partner onboarding thereby delivering a more reliable foundation for digital trade."

DCSA noted that Identity Exchange, developed in close collaboration with its founding member carriers and industry partners, reflects the association's mission to enable and accelerate digital transformation across container trade.

This collaboration has also been essential in shaping a product that meets real operational needs and is deeply rooted in the workings of global trade.

"Identity Exchange reflects DCSA's broader role in driving the industry's digital transformation," said Niels Nuyens, chief product officer at DCSA, adding that standards remain fundamental to this mission, but achieving true digitalisation demands stronger digital infrastructure.

"We are proud to deliver DCSA's first product, one that enhances daily operations and builds on the foundation the industry needs to digitalise effectively at scale," he added.

Identity Exchange has demonstrated strong performance in use, DCSA said in the announcement that achieving a 95% success rate in delivering verified company data.

This result underscores its effectiveness as a purpose-built solution that strengthens compliance, improves onboarding efficiency, and adds measurable value to daily operations.

Yossi Bar, traffic manager and Missy Barron, business and documentation supervisor, from ZIM's Global Customer Service Directorate said "The Identity Exchange Platform supports [ZIM's] strategy to continue and provide excellent service to our customers while ensuring our compliance with international regulations and sanctions."

DCSA's product initiatives are developed collaboratively to accelerate digital transformation across container shipping and any revenue generated supports the association's ongoing work, ensuring continued delivery of open standards and industry‑wide solutions.

DCSA said Identity Exchange is available immediately through both web interface and API integration.