Blockchain

Trade Finance Global (TFG), in collaboration with UK Export Finance and the Department for Business & Trade, is set to host a tradecast on 13th September 2023, one week before the Electronic Trade Documents Act (ETDA) comes into force. 

The FIT Alliance, formed of BIMCO, DCSA, FIATA, ICC, and Swift, has initiated the “Electronic Bill of Lading Declaration” to enhance the efficiency, reliability, sustainability, and security of global trade through the use of electronic Bills of Lading (eBLs).

From payments, credit and lending, to trade and supply chain finance, the entire financial services industry is being disrupted. Regulatory requirements, industry standards and the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda have accelerated.

Back in January, Trade Finance Global (TFG) reached out to trade finance experts to pick their brains about what to expect in the industry in 2023. Entering the year, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the larger economic environment. Some people were optimistic, some people were pessimistic, but everyone was open about being unsure.

The International Trade and Forfaiting Association’s (ITFA) Digital Negotiable Instruments (DNI) Initiative Day, hosted in London on 12 July 2023, served as an important platform for the future of trade finance.

Today’s fashion industry is in need of its very own digital silk road that can revolutionise its global trade with speed, reliance and efficiency.

At the 4th National Summit Trade Finance for Inclusive Growth organised by ASSOCHAM, the state of global trade finance was discussed by industry leaders. One point came across clearly: the path to growing the Indian economy is easy access to trade finance. Deepesh Patel, TFG’s Editorial Director, recently joined the ASSOCHAM Trade Finance Steering committee, helping to provide insights into market activities and trends.

To successfully digitalise Bills of Lading, the three necessary foundations are law, standards and technology. Without their proper application, any eBL SaaS platform, notwithstanding the attractiveness of the business model, is unstable.

The Single Trade Window (STW) is a technology concept proposed within the 2025 UK Border Strategy, published by the Cabinet Office in 2020. It builds upon the recommendation and guidelines proposed by the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT).

As the commodity trading industry looks back on Q1 of 2023, it is evident that the first three months of the year have been marked by a number of significant events. 

The financial services industry (FSI) has changed dramatically over the past decades due to technological developments in telecommunications, information technology, and financial practice.

Trade is critical in advancing economies, including those in the MENA region. At the same time, trade finance presents unique opportunities for criminal exploitation, also referred to as Trade Based Financial Crime (TBFC).

Persistent structural gaps within and between the world’s economies will decisively influence trade in the years ahead. This was one of the key findings in the latest Future of Trade report.

After COVID-19, the commodity trade finance industry experienced a period of great recovery. Trade finance covers a broad range of financing arrangements for the production, exporting and selling of commodities. 

DLT offers the financial services industry a new piece of infrastructure to push the boundaries of Open Banking. But it doesn’t come without its challenges. TFG heard from tradetech expert André Casterman on future use cases for blockchain in assets, trade and transaction banking.