Trade Finance Talks

A barometer on the financial pressures of 2026

Allianz Trade’s 2026 Risk Barometer identifies the 10 most pressing concerns faced by corporates for the year ahead, encompassing the views of 3,338 risk management experts, spanning 97 countries and territories. Doğa Usanmaz, Reporter at TFG, sat down with Sarah Murrow, President and CEO of Allianz Trade Americas, to discuss these changes. AI’s jump from eighth to second place in the Barometer rankings in just one year draws attention to the possibility of dark horses when it comes to risk. For Murrow, concentration is one of these dark horses.

What makes an MSME, and how can they be better included?

The exclusion of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) from finance isn’t driven by mere moral neglect, but by systemic infrastructural constraints - amplified by incomplete data.In a recent episode of Trade Finance Global’s (TFG) podcast series, Trade Finance Talks, Silvia Andreoletti, Senior Reporter at TFG, sat down with Adel Meer, Manager of SME Finance, Solutions & Impact, at the World Bank Group (WBG).

The many-headed hydra of financial crime

The growth of AI in document forgery, the lethargic response of legislation, and the complexity of international commodity transactions all pose significant challenges to combating financial crime. 

What’s lurking in the shadow fleet?

Russia has rapidly expanded its “shadow fleet” of ageing, poorly regulated tankers to bypass Western sanctions, now accounting for a significant share of global seaborne oil trade.

The Davos debrief: A litmus test for globalisation

Tensions have been high at this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland. The tone was set from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s proclamation on Tuesday, 20 January, that “the rules-based order is fading”, for which he received a standing ovation.

Banking during blackouts in Ukraine

When Russian tanks rolled into the Donbas, Sumy, Kherson and other regions of Ukraine in the early morning of 22 February 2022, the world watched in horror as the familiar story - a small state bullied into submission by a global superpower - repeated once again. Since then, the role of financial institutions both as providers of financing and pillars of the community has grown more firmly entrenched in Ukraine.

Rethinking FX in the era of volatility

As sudden swings, geopolitical shifts, and the erosion of dollar-dominance reshape the market, foreign exchange (FX) — the global market for trading currencies — has become a central concern for businesses trading across borders.

Future of Trade with Standard Chartered E2: Infrastructure, innovation, inclusion in digital trade

In the second episode of Future of Trade, Trade Finance Global and Standard Chartered explore why digital trade adoption continues to lag behind innovation.
TFG’s Mark Abrams speaks with Samuel Mathew, Managing Director and Global Head of Documentary Trade at Standard Chartered, on the difference between digitisation and true digitalisation, the interoperability challenges holding paperless trade back, and the role of legacy infrastructure.
The episode also examines the foundations needed for AI in trade finance, the growing relevance of digital assets and tokenisation, and why regulatory progress remains necessary but insufficient for digital trade to scale.

How alternative lenders are changing trade finance

Alternative lenders - non-bank entities that provide financing outside traditional banking channels - are no longer peripheral to the trade finance ecosystem. Their increased presence reflects a structural failure: banks' declining ability to lend to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 

The road to CBAM: Carbon reporting in 2026

As the environmental cost of global supply chains – responsible for over 60% of global yearly emissions – becomes impossible to ignore, the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment (CBAM) is emerging as a central tool for aligning trade with climate objectives.
On January 1, 2026, CBAM will move from a reporting framework and become a real financial liability for importers: those who haven’t secured authorised CBAM declarant status will face penalties, higher costs, and operational disruption.
Trade Finance Global’s (TFG) Charles Osborne spoke with Adam Hearne, CEO and Co-founder of CarbonChain, about what this transition means in practice.