CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE – Sean Edwards, ITFA Chairman, April 2025

Dear Members and Friends,

I welcome you to the April edition of our ITFA newsletter.

April was relatively quiet, with many taking time off over Easter and fewer events on the calendar. However, behind the scenes, our team has been working full steam ahead, preparing for an action-packed, record-breaking May and an exciting line-up of events for the rest of the year.

Spring has truly arrived for ITFA and May is bursting with activity. On 8 May alone, we have three exciting events taking place: a webinar on the newly published ITFA Short Term SWIFT FI Trade Loan Template, the ITFA GRC (German Regional Committee) Workshop in Frankfurt, and the ITFA Americas – Global Economic Outlook Briefing in Toronto.

Just a few days later, on 13 May, we are once again partnering with FCI as part of the EBRD Trade Facilitation Programme Day at the ITFA/FCI Conference in London.

The momentum continues on 14 May, with the ITFA Emerging Leaders Lunch & Learn in New York, focused on Trade Finance Securitization. On the same day, there will also be another Emerging Leaders networking event in London, while across the globe, the ITFA MERC Educational Event will be taking place in Dubai.

The second half of the month promises just as much energy. On 15 May, we will be in the heart of London for the ITFA & HC Commodities Event, which will feature an evening of industry insights, networking opportunities, and a live podcast recording. Then on 16 May, the newly launched ITFA LARC Regional Committee will be hosting its second event, a Networking Cocktail in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

On 21 May, the ITFA Americas team will be in Los Angeles for their event on the Challenges Facing the Supply Chain Finance Industry. The following day, on 22 May, Zurich will host the VEFI Annual General Meeting. Finally, we wrap up the month on 29 May with the ITFA SEARC Event in Singapore, which will explore the impact of tariffs on ASEAN trade.

Whew! And we’re not even half-way through the year.

This reflects our commitment to a diverse and engaging events calendar throughout the year, with a focus on creating in-person networking opportunities wherever possible. Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date on everything we have planned.

Of course, we cannot forget to mention our flagship event, the 51st Annual International Trade and Forfaiting Conference, taking place from 4th to 6th September in Limassol, Cyprus. Registrations are now open—don’t miss the chance to take advantage of our Early Bird pricing available until 31 May! Reserve your spot today by clicking here.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our generous sponsors, your continued support is deeply appreciated. If you or your organisation is interested in sponsoring this year’s event, you can find more information here or reach out to us at info@itfa.org.

Additionally, don’t forget to register for the upcoming ITFA Americas’ 28th Annual Conference, taking place from June 4th to 6th at the Kimpton EPIC Hotel. We encourage early registration, as we have already received a significant number of sign-ups.

In this month’s newsletter, we are delighted to introduce ITFA’s new Chief of Staff, Dr. Tedd George, through an engaging Q&A conducted by Rebecca Spong. We also feature a report by Paola Zgurova, Legal Trainee at Wolf Theiss, which covers our recent joint event in Sofia focused on Digital Finance. In addition, Rebecca Spong shares another insightful piece, this time exploring Central Asia’s expanding role in global trade. Ola Isola, CEO and Founder of newly enrolled ITFA member Sky British Enterprises, contributes an inspiring article on empowering Nigeria’s trade. Rounding off the issue, we present a timely contribution from Alexander Peatzold, COO & MD of Trade Technologies Germany, discussing digital trade finance and the challenges of bridging the gap between policy and execution under MLETR. Finally, don’t miss our “Voices from the Regions” section, where we recap the vibrant networking event held in Paris this March, hosted by our ITFA SERC Committee.

Finally, we are excited to welcome these institutions to our association:  Arab National Bank’s (ANB), Axcel Insights, Blockpeer Technologies Inc., Fifth Third Bank, Isbank, MBH Bank Nyrt, Sky British Enterprises Limited (SBE). Keep on coming!

We extend a warm welcome to these new members and look forward to their valuable contributions.

We look forward to hearing from you with any feedback you may want to share with us by sending an email to myself, any of the Board Members or to our general email, info@itfa.org.

Kind regards,

Sean Edwards