Central Asian eBay Hub launched for small business

(Geneva/Nur-Sultan) The International Trade Centre (ITC), under the European Union-funded project Ready4Trade Central Asia, has joined forces with USAID to create a Central Asia Hub on the e-commerce platform eBay.

International online marketplaces such as eBay are transforming the way micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) do business. Through the Central Asia Hub, entrepreneurs, many of them women, will be able to promote their products beyond domestic markets, potentially reaching millions of new customers around the world.

The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the importance of using digital channels to reach new markets and stay connected with existing customers. The eBay Central Asia Hub will highlight businesses from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan that produce goods in their country and are eligible to list on the platform.

Ready4Trade Central Asia contributes to the sustainable and inclusive economic development of the region by boosting intra-regional and international trade. This is made possible through transparent cross-border requirements, removing regulatory and procedural barriers, strengthening business’ compliance with trade formalities and standards, as well as improving cross-border e-commerce. USAID’s Future Growth Initiative is providing technical assistance, best practices and linkages with global ecosystem hubs. 

By supporting the digitalization of MSMEs in the region suffering from the devastating economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ready4Trade and USAID's Future Growth initiatives are building resilience and mitigating the risks they face in these turbulent times.

Selected small businesses will benefit from tailored one-on-one support to create optimized seller accounts on eBay for international customers. Additional resources will ensure that businesses can take full advantage of the visibility that the eBay hub creates. Training of the first cohort of MSMEs will start at the end of May 2021.

Assel Zhanassova, Vice-Minister of Kazakhstan Ministry of Trade and Integration states: ‘The Ministry actively supports the development of electronic commerce within the country as well as cross-border digital trade. We believe the eBay Central Asia hub will help MSMEs sell their products globally without any barriers. Our goal is to provide access and equal opportunities to local companies to sell their goods and services on Global platforms so as to increase the export potential of the country’.

The technology solution behind the eBay Central Asia Hub is provided courtesy of Young Digitals with permission from eBay.

About ITC - The International Trade Centre is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade agenda and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information, visit www.intracen.org.

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About USAID - USAID is the world's premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results.

For more information, visit the USAID Central Asia website: https://www.usaid.gov/central-asia-regional and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/USAIDCentralAsia

For information about the USAID Future Growth Initiative https://www.facebook.com/FGICentralAsia