Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. The IMF upgraded its growth forecasts for developed countries and said the global recession would have been three times as deep had governments not intervened.

Singapore has become the first country to ratify the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), with plans to implement the accord on the 1st January 2022.

Singapore – Standard Chartered has launched a suite of sustainable trade finance solutions across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. The Bank’s new Sustainable Trade Finance… read more →

Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. The WTO is forecasting growth in global merchandise trade of 8.0% this year following a contraction of 5.3% in 2020.

WTO, TFG and ICC have today launched their latest publication ‘Accelerating trade digitalization to support MSME financing’

Fresh Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) research shows those selling into the bloc suffering more as a result of new paperwork than importers. The vast majority of those doing business… read more →

Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. A container ship ran aground, blocking the Suez Canal which carries about 12% of global maritime trade. The blockage may take some time to clear, further disrupting global shipping, already beset by high freight costs and delays caused by the pandemic.

Suez disruption – ‘The straw that breaks the camel’s back’

More than 90% cost savings could be possible from using distributed ledger technology to handle authoritative digital original documents

Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. In the UK, over 40% of the population have received at least one vaccine dose. This compares to the US (24%), Italy (9%), Spain (9%) and France (9%). The UK government borrowed £19.1bn last month, the highest February borrowing since records began in 1993. Debt rose to £2.13tn, and consumer confidence rose to its highest level since last March.