Trade Finance Talks

Banking on the present with BAFT E3: Learnings from LatAm

Latin America's (LatAm) abundant critical mineral reserves, including the largest lithium reserves on the planet, have elevated the strategic importance of regional trade, with the resources to tackle and manage global challenges, from an energy transition to an artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. For the third episode of Trade Finance Global (TFG) and BAFT’s podcast series, ‘Banking on the present’, Mahika Ravi Shankar, Deputy Editor at TFG, sat down with Daniel Pinho, Chief Operating Officer at BAFT and liaison for the BAFT Americas and Regional Bank Councils.

Building investor appetite in commodity trade finance

Can transaction bankers keep up with a new North American trade order?

North American trade tensions challenge regional commerce as US-Canada trade tensions reshape payments, resilience and banking across the region.

Canada retaliates against US tariffs: What does Section 338 mean, how are Canadian small businesses impacted, and who pays the price in a trade war?

Yesterday, 25 August, Canada announced tariffs on $27.6 billion worth of imports from the US. This came in retaliation for the new 50% tariffs being imposed on $27.6 billion of Canadian goods - in what Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne describes as a “dollar-for-dollar, rate-for-rate” strategy.

Hormuz, Black Sea, and COVID disruption: Commodity contracts and force majeure in transition

When US-Israeli airstrikes killed Iran’s supreme leader in February 2026, sparking an Iranian retaliation on US allies in the Middle East, many assumed this would be yet another flash in the pan in the increasingly volatile region. Six months on, conflict endures, proving more resilient and disruptive than anyone had bargained for, rerouting shipping routes and heightening concerns about the security of the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint in oil transport. With global attention for conflict gravitating towards the Middle East, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is being considered in global commodity flows less and less. Nonetheless, recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian ports in the Black Sea, just a few thousand miles away, significantly exacerbate the global energy crisis.

Africa is ripe for receivables finance

African markets are among the fastest-growing for receivables finance, but the solution remains virtually unknown in many parts of the continent. Yet as a financing model, receivables finance, also known as factoring, lets businesses unlock cash tied up in unpaid invoices instead of waiting 30, 60, or even 90 days for payments. Through receivables finance, the supplier sells outstanding invoices to a third party - a factor - and the factor advances the majority of the invoice value, with financing linked to the underlying receivables and the creditworthiness of the debtor. The cash provided by the factor can then fund payroll, inventory, and essentially keep the wheels rolling before the buyer has completed payment.

Future of Trade with Standard Chartered E5: Are we closer to tokenisation in trade?

Any conference, interview, or conversation on the future of trade will inevitably discuss the inefficiencies which need to be addressed before that future arrives. Although artificial intelligence (AI) is, by now, ubiquitous, a redefinition of value, risk, and information transmission can be solved by tokenisation. But what do digital assets actually offer in the current context of global trade? And how ready is the present regulatory and cultural climate? For the final episode of Trade Finance Global (TFG) and Standard Chartered’s five-episode podcast series, Future of Trade, TFG’s Mark Abrams was joined by Standard Chartered’s Kevin Chang, Head of Trade and Working Capital for Hong Kong and GCNA and Group Head of Trade Digital Assets, and Emily Chan, Director, Trade Product Manager, Digital Assets, to discuss the future of digital assets in trade.

VIDEO | How ING and Komgo drive the trade train down digital rails

In an increasingly complex and fast-paced global economy, trade finance is undergoing a fundamental transformation, with digitalisation moving from a theoretical goal to an operational necessity. As digital technologies become a defining feature of the field, industry leaders are increasingly reassessing what success looks like - a shift driven by a rapidly evolving landscape where traditional benchmarks seem to no longer be sufficient. The discussion, hosted by Trade Finance Global (TFG), was convened by Souleïma Baddi, CEO of Komgo, Gregory Lambillon, CEO & Country Manager of ING Switzerland, and Jean-Marc Thijs, COO of ING Switzerland, to reflect on how this transformation is unfolding in practical terms.

How ING and Komgo drive the trade train down digital rails

In an increasingly complex and fast-paced global economy, trade finance is undergoing a fundamental transformation, with digitalisation moving from a theoretical goal to an operational necessity. As digital technologies become a defining feature of the field, industry leaders are increasingly reassessing what success looks like - a shift driven by a rapidly evolving landscape where traditional benchmarks seem to no longer be sufficient. The discussion, hosted by Trade Finance Global (TFG), was convened by Souleïma Baddi, CEO of Komgo, Gregory Lambillon, CEO & Country Manager of ING Switzerland, and Jean-Marc Thijs, COO of ING Switzerland, to reflect on how this transformation is unfolding in practical terms.

Banking on the present with BAFT E2: What’s front of mind for bankers right now?

At the BAFT’s (Bankers Association for Finance and Trade) Global Annual Meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, in May 2026, these themes were front and centre. BAFT’s flagship conference brought together transaction bankers from across the trade and payments industry in a ‘mini-SIBOS’ where attendees combined bilateral business meetings with sessions exploring the sector’s latest developments. For the second episode of Trade Finance Global (TFG) and BAFT’s podcast series, Banking on the Future, Mahika Ravi Shankar, Deputy Editor at TFG, spoke with Tod Burwell, BAFT’s President and CEO, to get an insider view on the conference and delve into its hottest topics.

Realising the full potential of AfCFTA begins with collective action and fighting corruption

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) forms a single market of over 1.4 billion people, making up the largest free trade zone in the world. Rooted in the philosophy of pan-Africanism, the AfCFTA unites the African Union member states as a means to build regional value chains and bolster the continent’s industrial development.

Shaping transaction banking innovation around the needs of the end-user

End-user needs are driving innovation in transaction banking, with banks focusing on integrated workflows rather than standalone financial products. Digitalisation, AI and high-quality data are helping businesses improve liquidity management, automate treasury processes, and enhance operational efficiency. Banks must embed services into clients' existing systems and workflows to provide flexible, data-driven solutions that adapt to changing market conditions.

The sustainability paradox of West African cocoa

In 2026, prices of oil, gold, wheat, beef, and other commodities hit all-time highs, fueled by the inflationary effects of the Iran war. But one global good has plummeted - cocoa. In the last year, prices have fallen 70%. An industry riddled by moral and social challenges, including child labour exploitation, carbon footprint, and deforestation, is now also under economic threat. The future of West African cocoa, in particular, being subject to smuggling, storage constraints, financing challenges, and global regulatory hurdles, is falling into question. Trade Finance Global (TFG) sat down with Dr Tedd George, CEO of Kleos Advisory and a regional and industry expert, to discuss the regulatory, financial, and ecological frameworks needed to make West African cocoa sustainable.

Future of Trade with Standard Chartered E4: A new blueprint for resilient supply chain finance

In the new normal of continuous geopolitical disruption and economic uncertainty, supply chain finance (SCF) is moving beyond its traditional remit. SCF encompasses a set of financing solutions designed to optimise working capital and improve cash flow for both buyers and suppliers. These solutions range from buyer-led programmes such as approved payables finance (allowing buyers to pay later) to seller-led instruments such as receivables discounting, inventory finance, or distributor finance (which let sellers be paid on time). In essence, these solutions are designed to unlock liquidity across a trade cycle.

As risks multiply, insurers rethink the architecture of protection

Sweeping geopolitical disruption is making credit and political risk insurance (CPRI) ever more crucial. CPRI is moving away from being a reactive product, evolving into a structural, balance sheet tool that corporates need to embed into their capital relief, portfolio management, and liquidity strategies.

Growth opportunities in South-East Asia, and the right time for treasurers to pounce

When corporate treasurers survey the global economic landscape for areas of future growth, one region comes up again and again: South-East Asia. The region enjoys some of the world’s fastest-growing, increasingly sophisticated export industries and an ever-wealthier population - 70% of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) population will be middle-class by 2030.

Future of Trade with Standard Chartered E3: Opportunity in disruption: The transformation of commodity trade finance

As supply chain difficulties and volatile commodity flows once again make headlines around the world, commodity trade finance (CTF) remains the backbone of global commodity transactions. The commodities sector has undergone an impressive evolution in the past decades, driven by macro trends and short-term shocks, and is now facing some of its biggest challenges yet. However, CTF providers are supporting the industry to improve its resilience and innovation. In the third episode of Trade Finance Global (TFG) and Standard Chartered’s five-episode podcast series, Future of Trade, TFG’s Mark Abrams spoke to Clemence Avril, Global Head of Commodity Trade Finance at Standard Chartered, to delve into the sector’s shifting landscape and unpack how this change is sparking opportunities.

Banking on the Present with BAFT E1: Straight-talking stablecoins

Fully transparent, programmable, secure digital money that maintains a stable value: 20 years ago, stablecoins sounded about as realistic as flying cars and holograms. But recent technological advancements and regulatory innovation have made this once-distant dream a reality, turning it into one of banking’s hottest topics.

A barometer on the financial pressures of 2026

Allianz Trade’s 2026 Risk Barometer identifies the 10 most pressing concerns faced by corporates for the year ahead, encompassing the views of 3,338 risk management experts, spanning 97 countries and territories. Doğa Usanmaz, Reporter at TFG, sat down with Sarah Murrow, President and CEO of Allianz Trade Americas, to discuss these changes. AI’s jump from eighth to second place in the Barometer rankings in just one year draws attention to the possibility of dark horses when it comes to risk. For Murrow, concentration is one of these dark horses.

What makes an MSME, and how can they be better included?

The exclusion of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) from finance isn’t driven by mere moral neglect, but by systemic infrastructural constraints - amplified by incomplete data. In a recent episode of Trade Finance Global’s (TFG) podcast series, Trade Finance Talks, Silvia Andreoletti, Senior Reporter at TFG, sat down with Adel Meer, Manager of SME Finance, Solutions & Impact, at the World Bank Group (WBG).