On 1 July 2019, the long-awaited revised internet eRules and guidelines for online trade finance finally arrived for banks, importers, exporters, freight forwarders, chambers of commerce, customs brokers, logistics companies and carriers, to prepare and present electronic records for documentary letters of credit in lieu of or in conjunction with paper documents.
Before 2019, Sibos made its last appearance in the UK in Brighton, 1985. So, what was the world like in 1985? TFG’s Ross McKenzie reports on the trade themes of Sibos 2019.
The EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) was developed to promote and facilitate international trade to, from and within economies where the EBRD invests. Under the TFP, guarantees are provided to international commercial banks (confirming banks), thereby covering the political and commercial payment risk of transactions undertaken by issuing banks. Since the TFP programme was initiated in 1999 the EBRD has financed more than 24,000 transactions for a total of more than €19 billion.
All global industries require standards. Remember what a huge step forward it was when the carrier industry agreed on the design for a shipping container. The same is true for electronic trade documents and their supporting systems.
TFG heard from Accenture’s Cecile Andre Leruste, on the major digitisation initiatives within the commodiy finance space. Commodity finance is in a phase of major transition, driven by multiple megatrends
Change is not just coming; change is here today, now. The impact of using electronic trade documents instead of hard copies of bills of lading, invoices, packing lists, and certificates to settle trade transactions via the Internet will be as profound to global trade finance as the containerization of cargo was to logistics.
Today the completion of the world’s first integrated paperless trade transaction happened – in iron ore – involving Rio Rinto selling bulk iron ore to Cargill, who sourced the cargo… read more →
We heard from ICC United Kingdom’s Chris Southworth, Professor Charles Debattista and David Lowe from the ICC Incoterms® 2020 Steering Committee. We hear about the importance of Incoterms® in international trade, why they are changing in 2020, and what businesses should be thinking about in order to prepare for these changes.
Letters of Credit are an involved subject. Bankers spend lots of time studying the various types and rules and regulations. “But hold on” I hear you say. I thought this article was entitled ‘Demystified.’ Well, for the typical importer or exporter dealing in individual transactions, they can be quite straightforward.
Two Raiffeisenlandesbanks go live with digital trade finance solution that will transform their end-to-end operations and intercept continuing business and market demands.
