Sustainable Trade Finance

ITFA

Presented by Trade Finance Global and ITFA

Trade finance has a significant role to play in sustainable development and ESG, which extends to addressing global challenges around climate change, human rights and biodiversity.

The banking industry is certainly making progress towards their sustainability mandates, which is no longer a ‘nice to have’, rather, a business imperative. But if we are to jointly work towards the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, raising truly understanding the benefits of sustainable trade assets, understanding the appetite from the investment community, and sharing best in class practices that are being applied locally and globally is critical.


The Panel

Johanna Wissing

ITFA

Board Member, ESG, ITFA

NLN Swaroop

NLN Swaroop

Director, Alternate and ESG Distribution, GTRF, HSBC, ICC Sustainable Trade Finance Working Group

Anne Maria Cronin

Anne Maria Cronin

Director, Quarter Penny Consulting

Katharina Michael

Katharina Michael

Unicredit, ICC Sustainable Trade Finance Working Group

Moderated by Deepesh Patel, Editor, Trade Finance Global


Tradecast Agenda

In this Tradecast by Trade Finance Global and ITFA, we discussed:

  • The definition of sustainable trade finance assets
  • The true business benefits of sustainable trade finance
  • Has the pandemic accelerated considerations for sustainability in supply chains?
  • Understanding risk when it comes to environment and sustainability
  • How sustainable trade finance assets are evaluated and understanding the risk
  • Investment appetite towards these assets in the investment community – differentiated treatment for sustainable trade finance assets
  • Education and sharing best practices within the community
  • A roadmap for sustainable trade finance


575 registered attendees

2,579 video views

90 minute webinar

Streamed to LinkedIn Live

Sponsors and partners

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Introduction: and definition of sustainable trade finance

  • An introduction to sustainability and green finance and its relevance to international trade trade finance
  • How do we define sustainable trade finance?
  • Do we need to establish a common framework for sustainable trade finance?
  • How does this relate to the UN sustainable development goals and climate change?


Business benefits

  • What are the business benefits and rationale for sustainable trade finance?
  • How do banks and corporates take a risk-based approach towards sustainable trade?


Incentives and pricing

  • Should we decentivise unsustainable trade or incentivise green trade? What does that actually mean?
  • How should financial institutions be promoted to grow sustainable financing? Are incentives the right model?
  • Is there a consensus on this subject? What is the possible direction of travel for sustainable trade financing and its capital treatment?


Regulatory treatment of sustainable trade finance assets

  • How can we bring sustainable trade finance assets to capital markets (e.g. pension funds)?
  • From a secondary trade finance/distribution perspective, how do you see this market developing?
  • How is trade finance uniquely placed?


Standards in sustainable

Resources

Article: Leveraging credible data to monitor sustainable trade and finance

Sustainable Trade Criteria: Customer Due Diligence Guidelines (ICC)

Can’t see this? Watch on YouTube

Creating standards in sustainable trade finance

  • How can we define taxonomies and mapping out standards to ensure standardisation in sustainable trade finance?
  • Do these standards need to be interoperable?
  • Where are we at with standards in sustainable trade finance right now, and what’s left to do?


Education and learning

  • As we build a roadmap for sustainable trade finance, how can we share best practices within the trade finance community?
  • Where do others sit within this broad debate (e.g. rating agencies, multilaterals, the private sector and regulators)?


Fintech, partnership and the future

  • How can fintechs work to help banks lend to sustainable businesses?


Thank you to our sponsors and partners

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Next webinar to be announced shortly

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