Selling across borders is getting more complicated. In our new report, we break down what this means for your region: 🌎 US states implemented over 400 sales tax rate changes in the first half of 2025 alone, and US retailers are losing the de minimis exemption on low-value shipments. Brazil is launching a dual VAT reform that will require nonresident companies to register for tax purposes locally. 🌍 France, Poland, and Belgium are making electronic invoicing mandatory for B2B transactions in 2026 to close VAT gaps. 🌏 Thailand has abolished duty exemptions for imports valued at $1,500 and below, while the Philippines introduced a 12% VAT on digital services like streaming and SaaS. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/eht3-RhR.
Cross-border growth is no longer a market problem, it’s an operational discipline. What I take from this is not regulatory noise, but a structural shift in how global businesses must be built. Selling internationally now assumes compliance, tax logic, and reporting as first-class system components, not later fixes layered on top of growth. The companies that endure will be the ones that design for this complexity upfront, instead of treating regulation as friction to be worked around later.
Fascinating breakdown of the 2026 cross-border landscape, Stephanie. While the technical and tax shifts are massive, there is a significant cultural friction point in the Spanish market that often remains invisible: the deep-rooted trust in local ‘legacy’ bank managers (Santander, BBVA, or regional cajas). In my experience as a Digital Agent in Spain—managing and converting portfolios of traditional SMEs and large corps with €10M+ turnovers—I’ve seen that infrastructure is only half the battle. The real challenge is the human shift. Spanish businesses are traditional by nature, but they have clear 'pain points' that legacy banks can no longer solve. Fintechs like Stripe have an incredible opportunity here, provided they know how to navigate this trust transition. It’s about more than just a better API; it’s about architecting digital trust where tradition still rules.
This is a great snapshot of how quickly the rules are shifting — and how regional “details” are now core to global growth strategies. Cross-border selling isn’t just about logistics anymore; tax, invoicing, and compliance are becoming real scaling constraints. Companies that build this into their operating model early will have a clear advantage.
Companies that navigate these changes proactively will have a clear advantage in global expansion.
The fragmentation of global tax regimes is creating a significant compliance burden that disproportionately impacts growing businesses. What's notable is the convergence of trends: loss of de minimis thresholds, mandatory e-invoicing, and new digital services taxes are all pointing toward real-time tax reporting becoming the norm. Companies expanding internationally now need to treat tax compliance architecture as a foundational infrastructure investment, not an afterthought.