Trade Finance Talks

From policy to practice: navigating the road to digital trade in 2023

Trade and receivables finance, in football terms

With an estimated 3.5 billion fans around the world, it's no wonder the finance behind football piques interest, even in the world of trade and receivables finance.
In this podcast, Trade Finance Global (TFG) delved into various facets of trade finance that affect the world of football, including player and receivables finance, project and export finance for clubs, and the ownership and running of football clubs.
Read the full article here: https://www.tradefinanceglobal.com/posts/podcast-s1-e109-trade-receivables-finance-football-terms/ 

Dirty financing: the slow progression of ESG

Since 195 countries signed the Paris Agreement at COP 21 in 2015, ESG has been a central talking point in the trade finance world. The term “green finance” has seen a 300% search increase on Google from 2015-2023.  
Shifting the conversation towards sustainability was undoubtedly an important step, as the shipping and trade sector contributes around 20% of global emissions. But what has come from this dialogue?
The trade finance community continues to finance fossil fuels, and there have been numerous examples of greenwashing in recent years. What are realistic expectations for ESG standards, and how does the trade finance community accomplish them?
To better understand how the trade finance industry can take the next steps in sustainability, Trade Finance Global (TFG) spoke with Roberto Leva, trade & supply chain finance relationship manager, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Johanna Wissing, who is interviewed as board member of ITFA. Johanna also is a director of finance syndication at Credit Suisse.
 
https://www.tradefinanceglobal.com/posts/podcast-s1-e108-dirty-financing-the-slow-progression-of-esg/

To agriculture and beyond: a look at how IoT technology is transcending industry silos

To learn more about their collaboration and the role that technology can play in the commodities industry, Trade Finance Global (TFG) spoke with Peter Johnston (PJ), senior manager digital and agtech at GrainCorp, and Sean Birrell, CTO and co-founder of Veridapt.
To read more: 
https://www.tradefinanceglobal.com/posts/agriculture-beyond-iot-technology-transcending-industry-silos/

The fight against economic crime in the UK: an inside look at the Economic Crime Transparency and Enforcement Act

Taking a step forward, the UK legislature has enacted legislation to prevent economic crime.
To learn more about this essential piece of legislation in the financial and economic world, Trade Finance Global (TFG) spoke with Susan Hawley, executive director of Spotlight on Corruption.
Read more here: https://www.tradefinanceglobal.com/posts/podcast-s1-e106-uk-economic-crime-enforcement-act/
 

’22 in 22 minutes

There is little doubt that 2022 has been an unprecedented year and for better or for worse, there has been a lot that has happened in the trade, treasury, payments and supply chain spaces.
As we make plans to wrap up this year and head into the next, TFG wanted to take a look back at all that has happened and the major themes discussed in each of the last 12 months.
Read more here: 

Incoterms: customs, case studies, and industry challenges

With so many of our daily goods coming from abroad, Incoterms play a much more significant role in our lives than most of us realise.
 
Some estimates indicate that International Commercial Terms (Incoterms) help to facilitate around 90% of all goods and transport transactions worldwide.
 
However, despite their widespread use and importance, these terms are often the source of a lot of confusion for importers and exporters alike. 
 
To help clarify the subject, Trade Finance Global (TFG) spoke with Holly Jade O'Leary, co-founder and director of Alinea Customs.
 
Read the article here: tradefinanceglobal.com/posts/podcast-s1-e104-incoterms-customs-case-studies-industry-challenges/ 

Float or sink: BIMCO discusses eBL adoption, standards, interoperability

Maritime transport is the backbone of international trade and the global economy, with over 80% of the volume of international trade and goods being carried by sea. 
The shipping industry has seen varying conditions over the course of the last two years, having been greatly impacted by COVID-19 and subsequent supply chain issues. This has been compounded by other events, such as the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. 
Given the complexity of the topic, Annie Kovacevic sat down with Grant Hunter, director of standards, innovation, and research at BIMCO, to learn more about hot topics in the industry.
 
https://www.tradefinanceglobal.com/posts/podcast-s1-e103-float-sink-bimco-discusses-ebl-adoption-standards-interoperability/

Part 2: Enablers that empower and support women-owned or women-led MSMEs

To learn more about how the WTO is championing women-led MSMEs, Trade Finance Global (TFG) moderated a panel discussion at the WTO Public Forum in September 2022 with leaders in the field. 
Participants in the WTO panel included Jennifer Buckley, founder and managing director of women-led independent impact investment firm, Sweef Capital; Jessica Espinoza, CEO of gender-focused global investment body, 2X Collaborative; and 
Susan Barton, team leader, trade strategy and outreach, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

Part 1: Increasing access to financing and empowering women-owned or women-led MSMEs

Women-led MSMEs are playing a critical role by creating income, generating opportunities, and supplying goods and services used daily in rural and urban areas.
Anabel González, WTO deputy director-general, hosted a roundtable discussion at the WTO Public Forum in September 2022.
Trade Finance Global (TFG) moderated the event which discussed technology’s role in bridging the financing gap that women-owned MSMEs face.
 
https://www.tradefinanceglobal.com/posts/podcast-p1-s1-e102-increasing-access-to-financing-and-empowering-women-owned-or-women-led-msmes/