As geopolitical disruption continues to reshape global trade routes, FIATA, the global voice of freight logistics, is calling for stronger, more connected and adaptable supply chains, with freight forwarders playing a central role in helping businesses navigate an increasingly uncertain trading environment.

The call comes as FIATA marks its centenary during the 2026 FIATA World Congress in Milan, bringing together freight forwarding and logistics professionals, industry leaders, policymakers and international stakeholders under the theme Empowering Global Logistics.

The disruption affecting the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted the vulnerability of critical trade routes and the need for supply chains to have viable alternatives. For freight forwarders, this means coordinating alternative routes, transport modes, gateways and supply chain partners to keep goods moving when established routes are disrupted.

This is reinforced by the findings for the 2026 FIATA Market Report: Global Trends and Insights, based on responses from 111 freight forwarding and logistics professionals across 46 territories and all four FIATA Regions. The report points to a logistics sector adapting to a more uncertain and interconnected operating environment. Geopolitical tensions rank among the most significant factors expected to influence the industry in the years ahead, while digitalisation continues to reshape how supply chains are planned, managed and connected. Across regions, respondents highlighted the growing importance of resilience, connectivity, regulatory efficiency and data-driven operations.

The findings also underline a growing focus on trade corridor diversification and multimodal connectivity. As supply chains face increasing disruption risks, freight forwarders are seeking to develop alternative routing options, strengthen regional and interregional connections, and improve operational visibility across transport modes and borders.

Together, these trends reflect a broader evolution in logistics: from optimising individual transport movements to building resilient, connected and adaptable supply chain networks capable of responding to disruption while maintaining the flow of trade.

"The 2026 FIATA Market Report provides a valuable picture of the factors shaping the freight forwarding and logistics industry across different regions. The findings highlight the importance of infrastructure, technology, regulatory efficiency and connectivity, while also showing how the priorities of the industry vary across FIATA’s Regions. These insights provide a useful basis for understanding where investment and development are needed to support the continued growth of the logistics sector,” Prof Dr Thomas Sim, FIATA President

From disruption to resilience

The current disruption in the Strait of Hormuz illustrates why resilience has become a strategic priority for global supply chains. Maintaining the flow of trade increasingly depends on the ability to anticipate disruptions, adapt operations and coordinate alternative solutions across transport modes, corridors and jurisdictions.

The 2026 FIATA Market Report highlights that resilience is supported not only by physical infrastructure, but also by digital connectivity, efficient border procedures, interoperable data exchange and enabling regulatory frameworks. Together, these elements help create the conditions for more reliable and adaptable supply chains.

For freight forwarders, this reinforces an evolution in their role from arranging transportation towards orchestrating increasingly complex supply chains. By connecting transport modes, corridors, technologies and stakeholders, freight forwarders can help businesses respond to disruption while maintaining the flow of international trade.

"The findings of the 2026 FIATA Market Report show that the challenges facing logistics are increasingly interconnected. Geopolitical uncertainty, digitalisation, infrastructure, regulatory complexity and changing trade flows are all shaping the environment in which freight forwarders operate. The message from our global membership is clear: resilience requires more than additional capacity. It requires connected infrastructure, interoperable digital systems, effective regulation and stronger cooperation across the supply chain," Dr Stéphane Graber, FIATA Director General

A century of leadership, lessons and a look ahead

FIATA’s centenary is also being marked through the launch of FIATA Forever: A Leadership Legacy, a special publication documenting a century of leadership, transformation and evolution within the global freight forwarding community.

The book brings together contributions from FIATA President Prof Dr Thomas Sim, 16 living FIATA Past Presidents, FIATA Director General Dr Stéphane Graber and 12 young professionals representing the new generation of logistics voices.

Through personal reflections and perspectives from across generations of FIATA leadership, FIATA Forever traces the Federation’s development alongside the major changes that have shaped international trade and logistics. It looks at how the freight forwarding profession has evolved through periods of technological change, geopolitical disruption and transformation in global trade.

The publication also creates a link between FIATA’s history and its future. The experiences of past leaders provide lessons for the next generation, while the contributions from younger professionals offer perspectives on the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Presented during the FIATA World Congress in Milan as part of the Federation’s centenary celebrations, FIATA Forever reflects FIATA’s continuing role in bringing together the experience of its established leadership with the ideas and ambitions of the next generation.