EBRD’s Rudolf Putz discusses his experience delivering trade finance to emerging markets during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how EBRD is looking to a greener future.

In the commodities super cycle that has emerged out of the COVID-19 pandemic, few resources have seen as much volatility as liquified natural gas (LNG).

Like many products within trade finance, trade credit insurance has endured serious volatility during the last 12-18 months, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baris Kalay, head of trade and supply chain finance for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) at Bank of America, caught up with TFG’s Deepesh Patel at ITFA’s Annual Conference held in Bristol, England. 

Merchants would go on voyages for several weeks, if not months, in a caravel, carrack or clipper to the Far East, or elsewhere, to buy cotton, wool, tea, spices or other commodities. They would be equipped with a Letter of Credit in their trunk, often handwritten by the clerk of their high street banks.

The pandemic and the ensuing disruptions in how the world produces, transports, stores, and consumes bulk commodities is placing physical inventory control and monitoring in the cross-hairs of revolutionary change.… read more →

By working together and tackling these challenges head-on, we can reduce our emissions and work towards our net zero goal by 2050.

With COP26 just around the corner, Export Credit Agencies, ECAs, are mandated to support government efforts in their fight against climate change.

Digitalisation has become a global priority, but efforts to digitalise trade have been hindered by legislative gaps.

Deepesh Patel, Editor at Trade Finance Global, interviewed Enno-Burghard Weitzel Senior Vice President Strategy, Business Development, Digitization, at Surecomp to discuss MSMEs struggle to access finance and how technology can be crucial to trade growth.