Cross-Border E-Commerce Trends: Lower U.S. Port Fees, Shopify BNPL Expansion, and EU Market Growth

Daily Cross-Border E-Commerce Briefing | April 18, 2025

1. U.S. eases port fees on China-built vessels, reducing cost pressure for shippers

• Final rule exempts Caribbean, Great Lakes and U.S. territory routes; fees now tiered by tonnage/container and start on 14 Oct 2025.
  Source: Reuters, Published on: April 17, 2025

2. Shopify takes Shop Pay Installments international, debuting in Canada ahead of U.K. and Western Europe

• First BNPL rollout outside the U.S. is set for full launch this summer.
  Source: Fintech Global, Published on: April 17, 2025

3. Stripe & Tencent partnership brings Weixin (WeChat) Pay to Stripe Terminal in 20 countries

• Merchants gain unified online-to-offline payment data and upcoming recurring billing support.
  Source: TechNode Global, Published on: April 17, 2025

4. European cross-border e-commerce hits  €275.6 billion, 36 % of total online sales

• The new "Top 500 Cross-Border Retail Europe" report shows 39 % YoY revenue growth for leading brands.
  Source: Enterprise Times, Published on: April 17, 2025