September 23, 2026 (NEW YORK, NY) — A new "Trade Readiness" survey from industry partners Altana, the world's first agentic trade network, and the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) found that more than half of enterprise trade and customs organizations are not equipped for the demands of today's global trade environment, based on composite scoring of respondents' operational capabilities.
The independent survey of 230 enterprise trade and customs leaders, fielded in summer 2026 across six industries, found that since trade regulations and tariffs escalated in 2025, most trade compliance teams (61%) say their job has gotten harder. Only 26% say their resources — headcount, budget, or tools — have grown enough to keep pace; 74% say they haven't. 91% report they are under pressure from leadership to do more with AI or are pushing AI transformation themselves.
As U.S. and global trade regulations increasingly require detailed information about the materials, components, and origins of goods crossing the border, 76% of trade teams lack ready access to a complete, traceable record of what their products are made of, where their inputs come from, and how they were manufactured.
A composite scoring of respondents' ability to perform eight capabilities considered essential to modern trade compliance — without crippling cost or time loss — found that 51% of trade and customs departments at enterprises fall short of the threshold for "trade readiness."
Key insights:
- Trade still isn’t being treated as its own function. Only 12% of trade functions at enterprises operate as their own standalone department; the rest report into supply chain/logistics (37%), operations (30%), finance (14%), or legal (6%). Teams in standalone organizations are the most likely to say the job hasn't gotten harder.
- Bigger companies are feeling more pain. The difficulty is worse at the largest companies: 73% of trade teams at $50B+ revenue enterprises say their job has gotten harder since 2025, compared to 57% at $1B–$9B companies.
- The top job of trade pros is the one they're least equipped to do. Maintaining a centralized, multi-tier product record — the single most common accountability for trade teams (89%) — is also where teams are most exposed: 76% say they can't produce full product information within 24 hours if CBP, a broker, or another department asks.
- The pressure’s on to transition to AI tools. 91% of trade teams are under pressure to do more with AI — and 78% say they'd adopt AI for trade work if it could show its work with verifiable, source-backed evidence. Despite dedicated global trade management (GTM) software being the most common primary tool (37% overall, rising to 53% at $50B+ companies), only 49% of trade leaders say their GTM has "kept pace well" with the current environment.
“The cost and complexity of trade compliance continue to rise as U.S. companies navigate an increasingly demanding regulatory and enforcement environment. AAEI was pleased to serve as an industry partner on this timely survey, which provides valuable insight into the challenges facing our members,” said Dr. Eugene Laney, President & CEO at AAEI. “We hope these findings help companies demonstrate the growing need for investment in compliance personnel, technology, and resources to meet today’s regulatory obligations and enforcement expectations.”
Methodology
The survey included 230 completed responses from trade and customs leaders at physical-goods companies with at least $1 billion in annual revenue, fielded in July and August 2026 across six verticals: Apparel & Textiles, Automotive, Industrials, Electronics & Semiconductors, Defense/Aerospace, and Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices. Respondents hold a manager-through-VP-level role in trade compliance, global trade, customs, or import/export operations; directly own or oversee customs compliance and/or brokerage operations; and work at a business that files at least 10,000 U.S. customs entries per year. Nobody employed by a customs broker or trade consultancy was surveyed.
About Altana
Altana is the world's first agentic platform for global trade, uniting businesses, service providers, and governments on a collaborative, AI-powered trade network. Altana helps enterprises and logistics providers turn fragmented supply chain data into a single, accurate view of their value chains — enabling faster risk detection, smarter sourcing, more trusted compliance, and more resilient operations. Customers like Boston Scientific, Maersk, and ZF use Altana to manage multi-tier value chains, identify duty savings, and meet rising regulatory expectations. To learn more, visit altana.ai.
About AAEI
For over 100 years, the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) has served as a prominent and trusted national voice for the United States’ international trade community. AAEI proudly represents various industry sectors within the global trade landscape, comprising manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, retailers, and their service providers such as customs brokers, freight forwarders, trade advisors, insurers, security providers, transportation interests, and ports. Many of its members are small businesses seeking opportunities to export to foreign markets, while our larger-sized members help to fuel the economy through their supply chains. As the premier U.S. international trade organization, AAEI is recognized for its expertise in the day-to-day enablement of trade, including the administration and compliance with import and export laws of the United States, making it an indispensable resource for those directly involved in and impacted by developments in international trade.
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