Editor's Note: This article is part of an ongoing RANE series on the shifting patterns of global trade. The first installment provided a broad overview of the geopolitical and economic implications of these shifts. Other installments have examined trade patterns in the Americas , the Strait of Hormuz , Japan and South Korea , India , Turkey , ASEAN countries , the digital landscape , Mercosur and maritime chokepoints ( part one and part two ). The expansion of digital trade will incentivize the inclusion of digital matters into future trade agreements, but slow regulatory change and growing geopolitical tensions will hamper multilateral frameworks, though countries with digital trade deals will be better positioned to reap the benefits of expanding digital trade. In the last two decades, multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) have facilitated the cross-border movement of goods and services.