Enabling Indigenous Trade: Business and Indigenous-Led Practices

The report outlines a six-level framework for businesses to enable Indigenous trade—spanning organization, operations, products, relationships, supply chains, and community—while documenting how Indigenous-led research, forums, and networks are independently shaping global trade agendas.

• The document proposes a six-level typology of business measures to support Indigenous trade: Organization (values and inclusion), Operations (FPIC and safety), Products and services (infrastructure and finance), Business relationships (joint ventures and equity), Supply chain (procurement and sustainability), and Community (CSR and advocacy).
• Indigenous businesses face systemic barriers to international trade, including limited access to capital, digital infrastructure, and networks, as well as gaps in the protection of cultural and intellectual property rights. These challenges are further intensified for Indigenous women due to intersecting gender discrimination and systemic biases.
• Effective business operations in Indigenous contexts increasingly rely on the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and the integration of cultural protocols to build trust and secure a social licence to operate.
• Tailored financial and digital services are critical for scaling Indigenous enterprises. Examples include the Maua App in the Pacific Islands for e-commerce and Indigenous-led financial intermediaries like Tāwhia in New Zealand, Raven Capital in Canada, and First Australians Capital in Australia.
• Inclusive procurement and equity-sharing models allow Indigenous communities to move from transactional roles to ownership. This is evidenced by joint ventures like Sealord in New Zealand and equity interests in infrastructure, such as TC Energy's sale of a 10% interest in the Coastal GasLink pipeline to Indigenous communities.
• Indigenous-led initiatives are independently driving the trade agenda through research, advocacy, and the creation of new frameworks, such as the Indigenous Peoples Economic Trade and Cooperation Arrangement (IPETCA).

APA

World Economic Forum (2025). Enabling Indigenous Trade: Business and Indigenous-Led Practices. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Enabling_Indigenous_Trade_Business_and_Indigenous_Led_Practices_2025.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Enabling Indigenous Trade: Business and Indigenous-Led Practices. 2025. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Enabling_Indigenous_Trade_Business_and_Indigenous_Led_Practices_2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Enabling Indigenous Trade: Business and Indigenous-Led Practices |date=November 2025 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Enabling_Indigenous_Trade_Business_and_Indigenous_Led_Practices_2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2025enabling, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Enabling Indigenous Trade: Business and Indigenous-Led Practices}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Enabling_Indigenous_Trade_Business_and_Indigenous_Led_Practices_2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }