Seminar on Breaking the Chain of Illicit Trade: Building a Secure and Resilient Economy
Tuesday, 25th August 2026|Ahmedabad
The growing menace of smuggling and counterfeiting poses a profound challenge to economic resilience, fair trade, and innovation-led growth. By fuelling the underground economy, these illicit activities erode legitimate businesses, discourage investment, distort market competition, and deprive governments of vital revenues. Their far-reaching impact extends beyond economic losses, threatening livelihoods, consumer safety, and the nation’s long-term sustainable development.
In continuation of our efforts to raise awareness about the complexities and critical challenges posed by illicit trade practices, we are pleased to inform you that FICCI CASCADE is organizing a seminar on the theme, “Breaking the Chain of Illicit Trade: Building a Secure and Resilient Economy” on 25th August 2026 from 10.30 am in Ahmedabad.
The seminar will underscore the important role of informed and vigilant consumers in combating illicit trade. By encouraging consumers to make informed choices, the initiative seeks to strengthen collective efforts to curb the spread of counterfeit and smuggled goods. Informed engagement and active participation from all stakeholders will be critical in safeguarding consumer interests, protecting public health, and fostering a transparent and resilient marketplace.
Theme: One World, One Fight: Eliminating Counterfeiting and Smuggling Through Collective Action
Illicit trade has increasingly evolved into a sophisticated global challenge that disrupts fair market practices, fuels organised criminal networks and creates significant obstacles to economic resilience and governance. The growing scale and complexity of illicit trade across countries continue to pose serious challenges to regulatory enforcement frameworks and the integrity of global trade ecosystems.
We are delighted to inform you that FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) is organizing the 12th edition of its annual flagship conference, MASCRADE 2026 – Movement Against Smuggled and Counterfeit Trade on 17–18 September 2026 at the Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘One World, One Fight: Eliminating Counterfeiting and Smuggling Through Collective Action’.
The objective of the international conference is to focus on achieving a more comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted risks and threats that illicit trade practices, in the form of smuggling and counterfeiting poses to worldwide economies; Insights on setting and implementing global standards to prevent and combat illicit trade; Enhancing international collaboration in countering illicit trade sharing of best practices and implementing policies that promote transparency, accountability, and good governance to tackle this serious issue; In-depth discussions on various approaches for combating the pervasive issues of counterfeiting and smuggling, including implementing anti-counterfeiting and anti-smuggling measures, prioritizing brand protection efforts, strengthening legal frameworks, and investing in research and development to effectively battle these destructive practices and amongst others.
MASCRADE 2026 will also provide a platform for dialogue and collaboration among policymakers, enforcement agencies, industry leaders, and international experts to examine emerging trends in illicit trade and identify innovative, coordinated, and forward-looking approaches to combat these threats.
Registration Link: https://registrations.ficci.com/fmasca/online-registration.asp