# Covantis Platform for Global Agricultural Trade

> The Covantis platform digitalizes global agricultural trade through blockchain technology, replacing paper-based processes with secure electronic document handling. Since its launch in February 2021, over 5 million tons of grain and oilseeds have been transported on 80 ships using electronic bills of lading. The platform now connects 75 trading companies, 12 agents, and 69 ship owners in a global network with over 500 users.

**Sector:** Tertiary sector · **Industry:** Wholesale · **Organisation:** Covantis · **Maturity level:** Production

Canonical URL: https://www.sapientblock.com/en/use-cases/covantis-getreidehaendler-digital-verbinden

## Documentation status

- **Project status:** Production
- **Evidence:** Evidence high
- **Editorial review:** Ufuk Avci, 15 April 2026

## Description

Covantis was launched in 2018 as an initiative by the world’s largest agricultural trading houses: ADM, Bunge, Cargill, COFCO, Louis Dreyfus Company and Viterra (formerly Glencore Agriculture). Incorporated as Covantis S.A. in Geneva, March 2020; CEO: Petya Sechanova (previously 10+ years at Cargill Trade Execution Geneva). Technology: ConsenSys Quorum (Enterprise Ethereum), Microsoft Azure Cloud, Cognizant. Live launch: 25 February 2021.

The global agricultural commodity trade is one of the last major industry segments with paper-based post-trade processing. More than 275 million emails are exchanged annually to handle around 11,000 worldwide bulk ship shipments. Documents are physically sent by courier and manually entered multiple times into different systems. COVID-19 exposed weaknesses: physical document deliveries became impossible. Covantis solves this through a shared blockchain platform: after trade conclusion, all post-trade processes are digitised — freight documents, bills of lading, customs papers, quarantine certificates — on a shared, blockchain-secured system. Result after 3 months of operation (May 2021): 45 legal entities, 500+ users, 16 agricultural groups. Expansion to 18 companies including AMAGGI, CHS, Coamo, Gavilon, Marubeni, Nova Agri, Olam, Zen-Noh Grain. Milestone: 5 million tonnes handled via electronic bills of lading (eB/Ls).

## Benefits

- Companies can process trades more efficiently and benefit from improved risk management through transparent documentation.
- The platform significantly reduces costs and processing times by automating trading processes.
- Increased transparency and traceability strengthen trust among all parties in the supply chain.
- Minimising errors through digital processes improves the efficiency of the entire agricultural trade.
- Employees are freed from repetitive manual tasks and can focus on strategically important activities.

## Challenges

- Companies must invest in new technologies and train their employees to use the blockchain platform.
- Adoption in the traditional agricultural sector is slow, as electronic bills of lading currently account for only 1-3% of global trade volume.
- Integration into existing IT systems of various trading partners requires significant technical coordination and resources.
- Employees must acquire new digital skills and move away from familiar paper-based processes.

## Technology foundation

The Covantis platform uses a blockchain-based infrastructure in partnership with ConsenSys and Microsoft Azure Cloud to create secure and immutable trade records. This technology enables the digital management of trade documents and their automatic release once payments have been made, thereby strengthening trust between unknown trading partners.

## Sources

- [Covantis launches transformational blockchain platform for global commodities trade](https://covantis.io/covantis-launches-transformational-blockchain-platform-for-global-commodities-trade/)
- [Covantis marks milestone in agri-trade digitalization with 5 million tons on eB/Ls](https://covantis.io/covantis-marks-milestone-in-agri-trade-digitalization-with-5-million-tons-on-eb-ls-and-first-electronic-custody-deal/)
- [Covantis: Blockchain platform for agri-commodities trade goes live](https://www.ldc.com/stories-insights/covantis-blockchain-platform-for-agri-commodities-trade-goes-live/)
- [Covantis - Global Trade and Commerce](https://consensys.io/blockchain-use-cases/global-trade-and-commerce/covantis)