Event News

BAFT to Host 2024 International Trade and Payments Conference

Set to take place in Washington, D.C from February 27 – 29, TFG announces 2024 event partnership with new BAFT trade and payments conference.

Via Trade Finance Global by Brian Canup

BAFT has announced the 2024 International Trade and Payments Conference, set to take place from 27-29 February 2024, in Washington, D.C.

TFG are delighted to announce that we will be partnering with this conference.

The conference, themed “Beyond Boundaries: a Collaborative Blueprint for the Future of Transaction Banking” aims to bring together leaders to explore the evolving relationship between international trade and global payments. The event will feature a range of sessions and discussions tailored to both trade and payments, allowing for a focused exploration of each field.

Key Highlights of the Conference:

Dedicated Tracks: Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in sessions specifically designed for trade and payments, facilitating detailed discussions on current topics relevant to these areas.
Expert Speakers and Panel Discussions: A variety of expert speakers, including global heads of trade and payments industry leaders, will address key topics, offering insights into current trends and future directions in trade and payments.
Networking Opportunities: The conference will provide numerous occasions for attendees to connect, including an opening networking reception and scheduled breaks.

Notable Sessions

The conference will cover a wide range of topics. Sessions will look into the complexities of global geopolitics and its impact on trade and payments, exploring the shifting dynamics of international relations.

Discussions on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) linked trade and supply chain finance will highlight the challenges in measuring and reporting ESG performance.

After creating the BAFT “Payments Roadmap Working Group” in 2023, the working group will provide an update on the trade and payments landscape going into 2024.

Additionally, the conference will address the evolving role of digital currencies, with a focus on the collaboration between public and private sectors in developing digital and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

Other sessions will explore deeper dive discussions on trade and payments specific sessions of interest, such as supply chain, trade digitization and export credit for the trade track, and ISO 20022 lessons learned, new payments rails, and cross-border payments for the payments track.

The 2024 BAFT International Trade and Payments Conference promises to be an informative and engaging event for those in the trade and payments industries. It offers a chance to gain valuable insights, share knowledge, and network with peers and industry leaders.

BAFT Recognizes 2023 Ambassador of the Year Honorees at Global Annual Meeting

Announced at the 2023 Global Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA on May 1, BAFT is pleased to recognize the following individuals for their tireless commitment and contribution to the success of association and its work.

To publicly acknowledge individuals from member organizations who have volunteered their time and worked tirelessly with the association throughout the prior association calendar year, BAFT annually awards select members with the BAFT Ambassador of the Year Award.

Ambassadors of the Year are individuals representing member organizations recognized by BAFT on an annual basis. Following nomination submissions, annual honorees are chosen following a weighted voting process by BAFT staff.

Officially announced at the 2023 Global Annual Meeting, BAFT is honored to recognize the following individuals for the invaluable assistance they have provided to the association throughout the past year and for helping to continually drive the mission and vision of the organization forward.

· Baishali (Poppy) Biswal, Vice President, Senior Relationship Manager, Key Bank N.A.

· Okechukwu Ihejirika, Senior Manager, Trade Services, African Export-Import Bank

· Sabry Salman, Managing Director, Global Head of Financial Institutions & FinTech’s (Non-Bank PSPs) Barclays

We would like to thank each of the awardees for their time and recognize their organization’s commitment to the advancement of transaction banking. Each honoree has been recognized respectively for their contributions to the advancement of sustainability and support of the association’s work in the Middle East; leadership in the LIBOR Transition Working Group and Future Leaders Program; and development of BAFT education and training programs.

Honorees received their official awards at the BAFT Ambassador of the Year awardee ceremony in San Francisco, CA on May 1, 2023.

VIDEO | Resilience Through Cohesion: A Collective Approach to ESG Solutions

In recent years, ESG has been a hot topic across all industries. It is widely accepted that the world needs to adapt and change in order to reach a more sustainable future. But there is a creeping sense of uncertainty regarding how to implement these changes.

To learn more about sustainability approaches within the industry, Trade Finance Global spoke to Eva Rubio Garcia, head of global transaction banking at BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking at BAFT (Bankers Association for Finance and Trade)’s Europe Bank to Bank forum held in London this January. Watch the entire conversation here.

Digital Euro Could Be in Circulation by 2027, ECB Tells Bank Forum

During the recent BAFT Europe Bank to Bank Forum, an esteemed panel of experts led by Lee Braine, Head of Advanced Technology, Barclays; Xiaonan Zou, Head of Innovation and Digital Assets, UBS AG, Group Treasury; and Jürgen Schaaf, Advisor to the Senior Management Market Infrastructure and Payments, European Central Bank (ECB) discussed retail vs wholesale CBDCs, synthetic digital currencies, possible digital euro circulation date and more. Read the full article here.

VIDEO | Think Data, Not Documents: Advancing MLETR in 2023

At the BAFT Europe Bank to Bank Forum, experts from across the industry discussed the future of banking and trade finance during the “Accelerating the Use of Electronic Trade Documents” session. The panel discussed the role of UNCITRAL’s Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR) in supporting the regulatory environment for digital trade. Hear more from Luca Castellani, one of the panelists from UNCITRAL on advancing MLETR in 2023.

Trade Finance Global Announces International Trade Awards 2022 Winners

The 2022 TFG International Trade Awards were awarded at the 2022 BAFT Global Annual Meeting covering seven global categories, seven markets, six specialist categories, and two individual categories.

LONDON/WASHINGTON –Trade Finance Global (TFG) announces the winners of the 2022 International Trade Awards in cooperation with BAFT. Now in its sixth year running, the TFG International Trade Awards 2022 recognize those who have provided an outstanding contribution to global trade and finance.

This year’s winners were announced at BAFT’s 2022 Global Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on May 4. BAFT would like to congratulate this year’s winners.

Global

Best Trade Financier – Citi
Best Receivables Financier – ING Bank
Best Supply Chain Financier – Citi
Best Export Credit Agency – UK Export Finance (UKEF)
Best Multilateral Development Bank – African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank)
Tradetech Innovator Award – Surecomp
Sustainable Trade Finance Award – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Regional

Best Trade Financier in Western Europe – Commerzbank
Best Trade Financier in Central and Eastern Europe – Raiffeisen
Best Trade Financier in the Middle East – First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)
Best Trade Financier in Africa – Rand Merchant Bank
Best Trade Financier in Asia Pacific – Bank of China
Best Trade Financier in North America – J.P. Morgan
Best Trade Financier in Latin America – Santander

Specialist

Best Trade Finance Deal of the Year – Allen & Overy
Best Trade Finance Education Provider – London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF)
Best Trade Finance Law Firm – Sullivan Law
Best Trade Credit Insurance Provider – AIG
Best Islamic Financier – International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)
Trade Digitization Award – Enigio

Individuals

Outstanding Contribution to Trade Finance – Steven Beck, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Rising Trade Finance Star – Haitham Elsaid, Qatar National Bank Al-Alahli

Read the Winners’ Interviews Here >

TFG would like to thank all nominations for all 22 categories across seven different markets, and 18 judges of the steering committee for what was a challenging judging process. TFG takes great pride in making the awards as impartial as possible.

Mark Abrams, Head of Trade Finance, TFG said:

“We are proud to award outstanding companies and individuals for their contribution to the trade finance industry over the past 12 months, which have been far from normal.”

“Now in its 6th year running, we’re delighted to collaborate with BAFT and would like to thank our independent steering committee for their time and efforts in running the rigorous judging process.”

Scott Stevenson, Senior Vice President of Trade, BAFT said:

“BAFT is extremely honored to be taking part in this year’s TFG International Trade Awards and appreciates the opportunity to recognize industry leaders in trade, supply chain and receivables finance.”

TFG Media Contact:
Deepesh Patel
Director, Partnerships and Marketing
[email protected]
+44 (0) 750 739 8018

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