Legal

The ICC Uniform Rules for Collections (URC522) Supplement for Electronic Presentation (eURC). On 1 July 2019, the revised internet eRules and guidelines for online trade finance documentary collections came into effect for banks, importers, exporters, and freight forwarders to prepare and present electronic records for documentary collections in lieu of or in conjunction with paper documents.

With the development of more interconnected alternative finance options for businesses and the emergence of open banking in the marketplace, the option of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending is seeing a great increase in popularity over the years among its SME audience.

On a rainy morning back in September we hosted a roundtable on collateral management at gunnercooke llp offices. We were joined by our co-host Elena Egorova, Head of Projects, DRUM Risk, an inspection and stock management company. Elena helped us work through an interactive case study based on real events (the infamous worst-case scenario) to track legal issues and practical considerations arising from the storage of commodities.

The European Commission faces a tough challenge when considering its policies regarding competition in the market: It is a fine line between protecting domestic companies that struggle in light of giant companies from abroad and softening antitrust rules that Ms Vestager has to walk as EU competition chief.

Open Account financing is going through a period of rapid change, thanks to digital innovation and competition. Recognised as a safe and flexible way for financing the real economy, we caught up with Erik Timmermans, founder of WOA, and John Brehcist, at their annual convention, to discuss the hottest topics in receivables finance.

We caught up with the President of the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT). We talked about the balance of human capital and technology in the international transaction banking, about the amendments of the funded master risk participation agreement and how trade-based money laundering can be eradicated.

Following the financial crisis, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) recognised the need for a forward-looking approach to account for credit losses. Previously, the IAS 39 accounting standard for assessing provisions was based on an incurred loss model. This approach has been criticised as “too little, too late” as it was perceived as delaying the recognition of potential turbulences while favouring forbearance.

In Global Financial Integrity’s 2019 update “Illicit Financial Flows to and from 148 Developing Countries 2006 – 2015” the estimate of illicit outflows of trade related payments from developing economies for 2015 alone was counted in the hundreds of billions – greater in value in fact than the aid budgets flowing into those countries.

The global trading system is in disarray. Global economic growth is slowing, half the G20 are now operating under openly protectionist agendas, and tensions between China and the United States remain high – despite faint promise of a truce earlier this year. But over in the UK, all of this is overshadowed by the continuing dispute over Brexit. The nation is bitterly divided, and we are fast approaching what could constitute a national crisis.

In today’s geopolitical climate many foreign policy makers use sanctions or similar, steps such as the refusals to grant authorisations, to place economic pressure on governments, organisations and individuals.

Trade Finance Global (TFG), announces that it joins Innovate Finance, the leading UK industry body and independent membership association for FinTech.

A regulatory environment that supports the safe and robust development of the data economy, the emergence of FinTech and BigTech firms and the growth of the crypto-assets market is essential for banking transformation, says new white
paper

Global law practice Eversheds Sutherland appointed as legal counsel for blockchain trade platform eTradeConnect to help the consortia tackle legal challenges related to the use of blockchain in trade finance.

(London) – International law firm Sullivan has advised ITFA (the International Trade and Forfaiting Association), on the launch of the new ITFA Unfunded Master Risk Participation Agreement (MRPA) and associated user guidelines, published yesterday, and will be issuing a CRR compliant legal opinion shortly.

The volume of space dedicated to ‘trade wars’ in the past few months is vast. But this does not guarantee the subject has been properly examined and analysed. I would like to suggest another perspective, questioning some common assumptions.