Alfa-Bank and Novolipetsk Steel Company (NLMK), in cooperation with Commerzbank, Germany, and Vesuvius GmbH, Germany, have launched a pilot project of cross-border payments via the Marco Polo international trade finance network. For Marco Polo, it is the first Russian-German import-export operations financing project.
TFG spoke to the author of ‘Digital Ecosystems within Trade Finance’, a BCG, SWIFT and ICC report on the state of networks and consortia, the key problem points within trade and trade finance, as well as the current barriers in terms of digitalisation both from a corporate and bank perspective. Deepesh spoke to Sukand Ramachandran at BCG about how global trade is changing and the role of digital ecosystems within this.
“I joined SWIFT as part of the 5 man global sales team in 1985, so SIBOS in Brighton was my first … and of course it was memorable…I stayed for 20 years, attended 23 SIBOS events across the world- pioneering days … no mobile phones, paper based processes, no internet …’
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has released the results of the 2019 rendition of their annual Trade Finance Gaps, Growth, and Jobs Survey. ADB’s vast network of respondents includes 112 banks from 47 countries, 53 export credit agencies from 17 countries, 39 forfaiters from 20 countries, and 336 other firms from 68 different countries around the globe.
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
Islamic finance is a specialist area that presents exciting growth opportunities for the UK. Sharia (Islamic law) compliant banking assets make up 6% of the world’s banking assets, but globally, approximately one in four people are Muslim. The scope for growth is obvious.
In this interview series, we heard from two invoice discounting experts and learned more about the confidentiality features of this product and the fundamental differences to invoice factoring.TFG’s Persiana Ignatova spoke to Jeff Longhurst and Steve Box, who are members of World of Open Account (WOA).
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 →
In this interview series, we heard from two Factoring experts and learned more about the use of this genius concept. TFG’s Persiana Ignatova spoke to Thorsten Klindworth and Peter Brinsley, who are members of World of Open Account (WOA).