Singapore, 9 September 2025 — Rajah & Tann Singapore (R&T) has announced its role as a founding partner in the development of the Trade AI Advisor (TAIA), the world’s first generative AI tool dedicated to global trade advisory. The platform was unveiled by the Singapore Business Federation’s (SBF) Centre for the Future of Trade and Investment (CFOTI) at its “Navigating US Tariffs: Adapt and Advance” seminar on 9 September 2025.
Engineered for today’s turbulent trade environment, TAIA simplifies complex trade rules, FTAs, and compliance requirements. It provides clear, actionable guidance that enables businesses to manage risk and proactively seize growth opportunities.
As the exclusive law firm partner alongside industry leaders DBS Bank, DHL, Pacific International Lines, PwC and Temasek Foundation, R&T contributes core legal expertise to ensure the tool’s outputs are both legally sound and business-focused. With its legal expertise in international trade and customs law, R&T is helping shape TAIA into a platform that offers not just information, but legally reliable, practical guidance businesses can act on immediately.
The launch event was officiated by Mr. Gan Kim Yong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, and Mr. Jeffrey Siow, Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance. It also featured a panel discussion with Ms. Kala Anandarajah (Head of R&T Competition & Antitrust and Trade Practice), alongside Mr. Frank Debets (Asia Pacific Customs and Trade Leader, PwC Singapore), Mr. Gary Kwang (Managing Director, Infracomms Pte Ltd), and Mr. Raymond Yee (Vice President for Customs and Regulatory Affairs, DHL Express Asia Pacific). The session was moderated by Mr. Chen Ze Ling (Managing Director and Group Head of Corporate and SME Banking, DBS Bank), and explored strategic responses to tariff challenges.
This marks the first time a Southeast Asian law firm has been directly involved in co-developing an AI tool of this scale for global trade. This milestone builds on R&T’s earlier collaboration with the SBF on the Navigating US Tariffs Playbook, a practical guide addressing both tariff and non-tariff barriers. The initiative underscores R&T’s position at the forefront of legal innovation, setting new standards for how law firms can integrate technology to deliver business-critical value.
Kala said: “Global trade has entered a more complex and uncertain phase, with rising tariffs and non-tariff barriers reshaping the business landscape. Companies in Singapore and across the region have had to quickly work through the complexities of this new world order. As a firm with offices across Southeast Asia, Rajah & Tann Asia has and continue to aid businesses navigate the difficult environments from a legal and business centric approach – how to change and adapt identifying solutions without facing undue legal consequences. On this, we are proud to collaborate with the Singapore Business Federation and our partners on this initiative to provide businesses with the practical tools and foresight they need — not only to navigate risks, but to seize new opportunities in a changing world.”
About Rajah & Tann Asia – https://www.rajahtannasia.com/
Rajah & Tann Asia brings together leading law firms in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam, with each offering the highest standards of service to locally-based clients while collectively having the capability to handle the most complex regional and cross-border transactions and to provide excellent legal counsel seamlessly across the region. The network’s geographical reach also includes Singapore-based regional desks focusing on Brunei, Japan and South Asia. With over 1000 fee earners, all working together towards one shared goal, we are lawyers who know Asia and who give our clients home advantage.
