CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE – Sean Edwards, ITFA Chairman / SMBC, January 2024

Dear Members and Friends,

Welcome to the inaugural newsletter of 2024!

We would all have wished a better start to the year as the hangover of war and renewed terrorism continues the sense of uncertainty and darkens the economic clouds ahead with the global economy trundling along the bottom. But, to quote from one of my favourite post-punk singers, there are reasons to be cheerful. Economies are fragile but not broken with much of the fragility due to anticipating potential future geopolitical risks. This will not disappear but can alleviate especially once electoral results are digested. Some of these problems have physical solutions and the clouds can brighten overnight. Interest rates are anticipated to fall which will boost consumer demand and goods trade. Or it could get a lot, lot worse.

In the meantime, ITFA is keeping you educated and entertained, and we are excited to unveil a diverse array of events already scheduled on our calendar. You can access the comprehensive 2024 Events Calendar on our website, where it is constantly updated to keep you well-informed. A kind reminder to follow us on LinkedIn.

Remembering that we have members in over 50 countries, we have chosen various geographical locations for our events to extend our outreach. Our membership base is expanding, and we actively invite new institutions to join us. Interested non-members can submit their applications online or download the application in Word format. If you encounter any challenges or require additional information, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@itfa.org. 

2024 marks a significant milestone for ITFA as we prepare to celebrate our 50th Annual Conference. By now, you may already be aware that this milestone event will take place in the beautiful location of Cyprus. Our dedicated team has hit the ground running, putting together an engaging program, selecting the ideal venues for the conference social events, and coordinating entertainment. We are grateful to our loyal sponsors, who steadfastly support this prestigious event year after year.

Needless to say, we are actively engaged with both our existing sponsors and new prospects, continually seeking opportunities to welcome more partners on board.

If you wish to become a sponsor, we encourage you to contact us promptly. You can access the conference brochure by clicking here for more details.

Education, or more precisely, knowledge sharing, continues to be a fundamental pillar of our association. As in previous years, we are committed to integrating educational components into all our events. Building upon the success of last year, we are excited to announce our upcoming “ITFA Week” which once again will be held in July, a series of three consecutive days of events in the City of London.

Last but certainly not least, we strongly believe in collaboration with other associations to enhance the value we provide to our members. In fact, some of our team members will be attending GTR Dubai, where they will not only lead sessions, but ITFA will also sponsor one of the networking events. Additionally, we will have a presence at GTR Cape Town, with a pre-conference workshop and participation in panel discussions. We kindly request you to continue following us for updates and to take advantage of the special discounts we negotiate exclusively for the benefit of our members.

In this first newsletter for 2024, read about the findings of a survey conducted by ITFA and the International Association of Credit Portfolio Managers on the use of credit insurance. We also have an engaging interview with Lorna Pillow, Deputy Chairperson, and Board Member, shedding light on ITFA’s goals and priorities for the upcoming year. Then explore our Fintech Committee’s 2024 priorities, presented by Andre Casterman, Chair of the Fintech Committee. To remind us of last year’s festive spirit, we’ve included an article about our Christmas event in Zurich.

As customary I like to close my introduction by welcoming ITFA’s new members.  For this month I am delighted to announce that Banco Safra S.A, Intact Trade Credit, Global Supply Chain Finance Ltd and Trade Capital Corporation have joined our association.

As always, we eagerly anticipate your feedback and suggestions, which you can share by emailing me directly, any of the Board Members, or our general email, info@itfa.org.

Kind regards,

Sean Edwards