CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE – Sean Edwards, ITFA Chairman, November 2024

Dear Members and Friends,

Welcome to the November edition of the ITFA Newsletter! 

This month has been vibrant with numerous events and milestones, including the highly anticipated first Trade Finance Conference of Parties meeting (TF COP), held on October 28 in Washington, DC, in collaboration with the IFC. This event marked a significant step forward in fostering dialogue and collaboration towards finding a solution to the trade finance gap by bringing together public and private market participants, something we are well placed to do as a global, but neutral, trade association. I am very proud of what we have already achieved in Washington and excited for the future development of this initiative. The Press Release is also available in this edition of the newsletter.

Our November newsletter features engaging and thought-provoking content, including the launch of a new white paper titled ‘ITFA and TFG Launch a New White Paper: “Are we doing enough to bridge the trade finance gap?”’ and an insightful Q&A with Pouya Jafari, where he discusses how the Emerging Leaders Committee and its initiatives are gaining momentum.

Moreover, I have just myself returned from Ljubljana where I attended the CEE RC regional conference with nearly 120 guests from all over the region, including some new countries to us, such as Albania. There is a rapid change in this area and the value of ITFA, bringing together expertise as well as networking, was very clear to me.  It’s good to make a difference! An insightful recap of this event can be found in this edition.

This edition also highlights the exciting activities under the “Voices from Our Regions” initiative. We reflect on recent ITFA Emerging Leaders events held in Frankfurt on September 25 and in New York on October 30. Our Regional Committees have also been active, with ARC hosting a webinar on October 2, SEARC leading a session on Open Account Trade Financing on October 18, and Swiss Re sponsoring the Underwriting Lifecycle of Working Capital and Loan Products webinar on October 7. The ITFA Americas Committee held two impactful events in October, including a podcast titled Commodity Trade in Volatile Times, which provided insights into the commodities market, and a specialised session on risk mitigation tools in São Paulo, Brazil. Meanwhile, the ANZRC organized a notable event in Sydney, Australia, on October 23. These initiatives underscore the dynamic and diverse nature of ITFA’s regional engagement.

Finally, we are excited to announce and welcome the following new member institutions to our ever-growing association, further strengthening our global network – Cultivar Insurance Ltd – Mills & Reeve – Trade Technologies

We are always eager to hear from you, so please feel free to reach out to me, any Board Member, or contact us via info@itfa.org.

Thank you for your continued support and we hope you enjoy reading this edition of the ITFA newsletter. 

Best wishes, Sean Edwards