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 […]

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 fmaily: 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 […]

The ITFA Fintech Event in June, kindly hosted by Deutsche Bank in London, uncovered different ways in which data management and machine learning technologies are being applied to trade finance origination and distribution. The event profiled the transformational work being undertaken by the likes of Taulia (corporate working capital), Traydstream (trade finance documentation), Coriolis (trade […]

ITFA Middle East Regional Committee, currently chaired by Semih Ozkan, Director, Corporate Trade Finance, Deutsche Bank, organized the first trade finance distribution forum in the region. With the “originate to distribute” theme, the forum, attended by over 60 participants, broadly assessed trade distribution as a form of risk mitigation while provided an overview of regulatory […]

The ITFA Muse reported on the Lloyd’s market published headline claims statistics as at June 2015. See ‘Focus on Insurance: Top Tips for Managing a Successful Claim by Katie Fowler and Carol Searle of Texel Finance Limited’ appearing in the ITFA Muse issue of May 2016. Xchanging Claims Services maintain these statistics for the Lloyd’s […]

Global Trade Finance Review – GTR – has released an article on how ITFA has reviewed the guidelines for banks using capital requirements regulation (CRR)-compliant non-payment insurance policies. The move follows significant market debate in the past year over the eligibility of insurance as a credit risk mitigant for CRR purposes. The drafting of the […]

TXF went to ITFA’s Fintech briefing in London in mid-June to investigate what practical progress is being made in the tradetech space and what individual companies present at the event are working on. Transparency and accurate data are key and artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) are all coming into […]

ITFA is pleased to welcome three new members to its growing Association: The Africa Merchant Capital group is a privately owned Boutique merchant bank, providing corporate finance, advisory, trade finance and asset finance solutions for mid market businesses active in sub-Saharan Africa. AMC Trade Finance provides bespoke structured trade finance solutions, supporting African trade through  […]

Dear Members and Friends, This month’s message is being written from Ho Chi Minh City where I am moderating a panel at the annual FCI factoring conference. It’s interesting to reflect, sitting here, how these markets, more emerged than emerging at times, need the finance that we are so well poised, but often fail, to […]