MarketInvoice, Scottish Pacific and ICC Banking Commission were just some of the many organisations which were recognised and commended for their contribution and dedication to the trade finance sector at the 2015 TFG Excellence Awards.

James Sinclair, Editor said: “It’s been a great year for trade and export finance, due to positive macroeconomic factors, allowing SMEs to grow internationally, and because of competitiveness in the debt lending space. Trade finance is now becoming an accessible asset class for sophisticated investors.”

“Recognising and awarding the organisations who are educating, digitalizing and driving the trade finance sector is important for us. We were also very excited to be commending fast growing fintech startups who we see as disruptors in this market, worth around $3tn USD per year.” James said. The judging panel picked organisations from a variety of sectors, including the Australasian company, Scottish Pacific.

Peter Langham, CEO of Scottish Pacific, and winner of ‘Best Trade Finance Provider 2015’ said: “Standing still is not an option. We have plans to continue to broaden distribution by establishing more strategic partnerships.”

He said: “I am very proud of our Trade Finance team and all that they have achieved in a relatively short space of time. It’s wonderful to be recognized in such a way.”

The winner of the Best Global Digital Innovator was the ICC Banking Commission, for their work in digitalizing and providing content online for trade financiers. Daniel Schmand, Chairman said: “We are thrilled to be recognized for the work we undertake and this is a reminder that we must strive to keep pace with the changes taking place across the markets.”

“The developments in supply chains and their financing, represent an area of growing relevance for the ICC Banking Commission, notably around underlying technologies and the digitization of trade and trade finance.”

The nominees faced a rigorous judging process based on independent reviews, expert opinion, competitiveness of price and customer service. 2 of the 4 winners were relatively new fintech companies: MarketInvoice and TradeUp Capital Fund.

Anil Stocker, CEO and Co-founder of MarketInvoice said: “Tech-powered platforms are changing the game in terms of customer service – our platform has a 24 hour turnaround time, from sign-up to receiving funds.”

“With a factoring product from the banks, you could be waiting weeks, often months for a decision. Time is money for business owners, and such a slow, elongated funding process just doesn’t cut it any more. The future is making business finance as smooth and stress-free as possible – and we’re making that happen now.”

The winners for the Trade Finance Global 2015 Excellence Awards were announced this morning, as follows:

For more information on the Awards and interviews with the winners, please visit https://www.tradefinanceglobal.com/services/excellence-awards-2015/.