Trade Finance Talks

PODCAST | 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.

PODCAST | 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). 

PODCAST | 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.

Future of Trade with Standard Chartered E1: Powering resilience

Resilience in global trade has moved beyond a defensive strategy. In an era defined by tariffs, technological developments, and shifting patterns of economic growth, it is now integral to sustainable expansion and long-term competitiveness across global supply chains. 
In the debut episode of Trade Finance Global’s (TFG) new five-part podcast series, Future of Trade with Standard Chartered, TFG’s Mark Abrams sat down with Sofia Hammoucha, Global Head of Trade and Working Capital at Standard Chartered.

The success factor: Future trends in factoring

Factoring, a financial practice where businesses sell unpaid invoices for immediate cash, underpins trillions in global commerce, with global volumes nearing €3.8 trillion in 2023

Regional rising star: Latin America’s payments success

At the 2025 Sibos conference in Frankfurt, Germany, Silvia Andreoletti, Senior Reporter at Trade Finance Global (TFG),  had the opportunity to speak with Ximena Alemán, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Prometeo, a Latin American payments network.

A stroke of GENIUS? Implications of digital assets policy

Over the last decade, a new world order has been trying to emerge from the cracks of enduring systems. When Nick Szabo proposed the idea of “bit gold” in 1998, he opened the portal to inventions that changed how humans thought and dealt with money forever. 

Bridging the commodity trade finance gap with transparency and innovation

The global trade finance gap persists at around $2.5 trillion, leaving businesses - especially small-and-medium commodity traders - struggling to pay suppliers, ship goods, and keep cash flowing while they wait for buyers to pay invoices.

You can’t predict the weather, but you can insure for it: Credit insurance and the future of energy

From soaring price volatility and shifting geopolitical tensions to the urgent need to decarbonise, companies across the energy sector are facing risks on multiple fronts. Energy trading contracts can stretch for years, while market shocks can happen overnight.