Dear Members and Friends, As Christmas approaches, the only real uncertainty the majority of us would like to face, I am sure, is what to buy as presents for our nearest and dearest. Citizens of the UK face the surprise gift of (yet another) election. Whether the results will ruin or make the festive season […]

Last year, the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (Baft) revised and updated its English law master participation agreement (MPA) in order to drive further standardisation in trade transactions and meet the “modern-day requirements” of the industry. It included a series of significant changes, including allowing for ‘true sale’, namely the transfer of financial assets, rather […]

With more than 300 delegates from more than 145 nations gathered in Greece at the EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme Trade Finance (TFP) Forum 2019, it was clear that 20 years after the TFP’s foundation, countries lacking in correspondent banking lines need this trade leg-up more than ever. Clarissa Dann reports from Athens. One could be […]

ITFA has recently launched its new website which it encourages members to visit and explore. The new mobile-friendly site has been designed to offer improved navigation and functionality, while allowing visitors to better understand the ways in which ITFA serves the trade finance industry. “The site has been revamped and modernised and now provides better […]

Make no mistake, the trade war is a real thing. But it is being used as a proxy by China and the US to fight a bigger battle – one that transcends the orthodox definitions of hard and soft power, to one that incorporates sharp power – influence over finance, information, ideas, and even thoughts […]

ITFA is proud to welcome 2 new members: Crowdz is a Silicon Valley-based company rethinking invoices, cash flow and trade finance. With a digitized 24/7 global invoiceXchange and B2B payments gateway we are replacing outdated manual practices with the financial services industry’s first end-to-end invoice solution. Crowdz is a FinTech on a mission to help […]

Dear Members and Friends, October is proving to be quite a heavy weight for the global economy. At one end we have ( the possibility of) Brexit, whilst from the outset, negotiations have resumed between US and China, aimed at ending a 15 month trade battle that is weighing on the global economy. After insisting […]

As the International Trade & Forfaiting Association met in Budapest for its 46th Annual Conference, flow reports on how heads of trade agree that in times of economic stress, flight to trade finance instruments of trust seems to be on the rise. The end of civilisation as we know it or are we back from […]

At ITFA’s annual conference in Budapest in September, Lorna Pillow, the association’s deputy chair, led a panel discussion on the recent upsurge of alternative financiers in the trade finance space. Alternative trade financiers across the globe vary in structure, size and sector coverage, each with different USPs, including technological enhancement, asset management capability, structuring ability, […]

We love showcasing the innovative deals our members get up to. One of the panels at our recent annual conference in Budapest explored supply chain finance in the CEE especially the smaller emerging market countries. Chaired by Maria Mogilnaya of EBRD, one of the panelists and a very recent ITFA joiner, Banka për Biznes, explained […]

The ExCred event hosted the launch of Trade Finance Talks TV which, in partnership with the ExCred Series, spoke to some of the key players in commodity finance. Is it Basel, not Brexit, keeping the industry awake at night? Appetite Grows, Capacity Remains Abundant On the credit and political risk front, appetite is matching the […]

ITFA is pleased to welcome another four new members to its growing family: United Bank for Africa (UK) Limited ”UBAUK” is a wholesale bank regulated by the PRA and FCA to provide full banking operations in the UK. UBA UK is the go to bank for transactions to and from Africa with specific focus on: […]

Dear Members and Friends, I write this message bursting with pride after returning from the ITFA conference in Budapest. The conference attracted record numbers with close to 300 delegates attending from nearly 40 countries, who experienced, for themselves, what ITFA really stands for: relevant content, education, networking, fun and last but not least building on […]

ITFA’s Annual Conference, hosted this year in Budapest from 4 – 6 September, brought together a wide range of industry participants. In three days, market trends, regulatory updates, alternative finance solutions and fintech innovation were just some of the topics discussed. The 270 conference delegates also had a chance to learn about the ways in […]

Katharine Morton ponders the opacities of financing trade, and what lies beneath, revealed at ITFA’s celebration of a mysterious dance of hide and seek Hiding who you are is one of the key motives behind the tradition of the masquerade ball. It’s a playful custom that goes back to fifteenth century Venice, with identities usually […]

GTR reports that ITFA has launched a new master risk participation agreement (MRPA) for unfunded participations in a variety of trade finance transactions where documents like guarantees or surety bonds are used by participants. The document is aimed primarily at the co-operation between banks and insurance companies. According to Silja Calac, ITFA board member and head […]

Companies exporting to emerging & developing markets are facing tightening bank financing conditions due to increased obligor & country risks that are restricting their growth potential, as well as having difficulty in finding the right funding partners to finance their export receivables. Also, a limited awareness of the benefits of trade credit insurance and how […]

Trade finance and transaction banking knowledge gap exists and is a recognised challenge within the industry. Retaining and attracting new talent into trade and transaction teams of financiers at banks, FIs and non-banks remain critical for championing diversity and innovation within the industry. This year, Trade Finance Global were at the ITFA 46th Annual International […]

ITFA proudly welcomes seven new members to its growing Association: Banco BPM Group is a universal, solid, profitable and reliable company. Thereby spawning the third largest banking group in the country: 25,000 employees, 2,300 branches and 4 million customers concentrated in Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont, the productive heart of Northern Italy. A widespread and multi-channel […]

Dear Members and Friends, June was an eventful month after a torrid May. Emerging markets were closely monitoring the end of month G-20 meeting that resulted in a restart in trade consultations between the U.S and China as well as an agreement of not imposing new tariffs. In addition to that, the US Federal Reserve released minutes […]