Trade Finance Global attended the headline event of the commercial finance industry, the 10th NACFB Commercial Finance Expo 2019.
Trade Finance Global attended the headline event of the commercial finance industry, the 10th NACFB Commercial Finance Expo 2019.
The Expo is the largest finance show for intermediaries and brokers in the UK, an arena for business, networking and education. An opportunity for lenders, funders and commercial brokers to promote themselves, the NACFB is the largest association supporting the commercial finance brokerage community.
NACFB this year attracted exhibitors from asset finance, property finance, trade finance, development finance and bridging finance, along with fintechs and banks.
Happy faces at the end of NACFB Commercial Finance Expo. Thanks to all of you that came to see us! We are looking forward to seeing you again next year! pic.twitter.com/4xXaDytbJC
— Trade Finance Global (@tradefinglobal) June 19, 2019
As one of the largest information providers and introducers of trade and receivables finance to UK finance industry, Trade Finance Global attended NACFB’s Expo.
“The trade education gap remains a significant challenge for UK businesses and the broker community.” Said Mark Abrams, Head of Trade Finance Global.
“We are helping bring in finance and educate the broker market on the financing of trade, focusing on pre-invoice financing structures.” he added.
Key themes of the NACFB 2019
1. Regulatory Grace in the Event of No Deal
Although business confidence continues to diminish, and concerns are aired around Brexit, it appeared as though UK lenders were truly open for business, as demonstrated at many of the stalls at the NACFB Expo 2019.
One of the discussion sessions at the Expo was given by Adrian Dixon, Senior Compliance Manager at NatWest. He looked ahead at the impact of the latest FCA ( Financial Conduct Authority) regulations to ascertain what trends and learnings were applicable to the commercial lending community. Regulatory grace seemed to be a theme, where banks, asset managers, insurers and brokers will be given until mid-2020 to fully comply with the new rules in the event of no-deal Brexit.
2. The Technology in the Sector
Unsurprisingly, fintechs and startups dominated many of the stands at NACFB this year, both new liquidity provider platforms and technology solutions providers in the commercial finance space. The commercial finance sector has seen a rise in the number of the tech companies starting out of UK and beyond.
Key themes were around how technology will continue to reshape the commercial finance landscape. What is the balance between automation and human judgement in the credit underwriting processes, and what opportunities are there to enhance the broker/lender dynamic through technology?
An interesting remark was made from Jeremy Crinall, Regional Manager, Funding Circle:
“I believe that the technological advancements will create ever more interesting jobs in our sector, than excluding the human. Machines will always have to be managed; as to the human touch- the fact that there are so many of us today in the NACFB Expo proves that the commercial finance sector cannot exist without the live face to face interaction.“
The main sponsors for the NACFB Expo 2019 were Aldermore, Barclays, Funding Circle, LLoyds Bank and Hitachi.
About TFG
TFG are experts in structured trade finance, helping companies to trade, import or export goods and services.
We have a network of over 270 banks, funds and alternative lenders across different geographies, allowing us to help almost any trading company to access finance.
