Global foreign direct investment set to partially recover in 2021 but uncertainty remains

Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows are expected to bottom out in 2021 and recover some lost ground with an increase of 10% to 15%, according to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2021. Read more →

EIF Annual Report highlights resilience of poorest countries despite COVID-19 crisis

The 2020 Annual Report of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), released on the 24th of June, reveals that EIF projects carried out in least-developed countries (LDCs) have helped to support economic resilience despite the challenges caused by COVID-19. Read more →

Merchandise trade posts strong gains in first-quarter despite growing regional disparities

Global merchandise trade continued to bounce back in the first quarter of 2021 from its collapse earlier in the pandemic. The volume of merchandise exports and imports in the first quarter rose to new heights in Asia, reverted to pre-pandemic levels in Europe and North America, and lagged in poorer, less industrialized regions such as Africa and the Middle East. Read more →

Norway commits NOK 45 million to EIF to spur economic recovery in least-developed countries

The world’s poorest countries have been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 crisis due to the fragility of their economies and due to disruptions in trade flows. Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is contributing NOK 45 million to the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) to support projects aimed at helping the world’s poorest countries recover from the COVID-19 crisis. Read more →

Exporters receive unprecedented levels of UK Government support

UK Export Finance (UKEF) provided £12.3 billion in support for UK exports from 2020-2021, almost treble the amount provided in the previous financial year, according to its new annual results published. UKEF’s financial backing and rapid response during the pandemic is estimated to have supported up to 107,000 UK jobs and helped to keep UK businesses and key industries afloat. Read more →

Britain launches negotiations with £9 trillion Pacific free trade area

Britain has launched negotiations with 11 countries belonging to a £9 trillion free trade area in a landmark moment for the UK as an independent trading nation. Read more →

ITFC Partners with ITC to Launch the ‘Women in Global Trade: SheTrades’ Initiative in Egypt

The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, launched the “SheTrades” initiative in Egypt, which is implemented by the International Trade Center (ITC). This initiative will focus on increasing the participation of 50 small and medium enterprises owned by Egyptian women in the export-oriented value chain.  Read more →

UK tax body opens almost 13,000 probes into the use of Covid schemes

The UK tax authority has launched almost 13,000 investigations into the use of the government’s coronavirus business support schemes, including for possible fraud and other breaches of rules. Read more →