Events

2023 Trade Finance Workshop Series

Overview
Register
Program
Sponsorship
Venue & Accommodations

Overview


NEW THIS YEAR the 2023 BAFT Trade Finance Workshop is back in person and virtual! Enjoy choosing from 3 physical locations or join online from wherever you are. Offered simultaneously in 3 physical locations & virtually. Speakers will be in different locations and streamed to the others. Our audience can experience both the networking with people in the room & virtually with the other geographic locations. Due to time-zone differences, sessions in LA may vary slightly. Please refer to the agenda for specific sessions & locations. Pick the location most convenient for you.

Toronto, ON
New York, NY
Los Angeles, CA
Virtually

All workshops are approved for 12 professional development units (CPDs) for CDCS recertification.

Who Should Attend

Bankers, importers, exporters, brokers, providers/suppliers and others involved in trade operations and LC document preparations who want a deeper dive discussion on trade operations related topics and other current trade industry issues. Those with CDCS certification should attend to receive continuing professional development unites (CPDs) for recertification.

“As a corporate professional with 20 years experience in international trade, it brought a lot of tangible & intangible values. It was one of the most practical collaboration and brainstorming learning experience critical to a sound business decision making. I commend the program committee for choosing the right topics and wonderful speakers that resonate with my experiences. I enjoyed, learned, raised questions and gained network with the attendees and speakers.”

“It was a great learning experience to hear from the great speakers and banking community Beyond the practicality of the workshop lies the opportunity to go much deeper and learn more.”

“It provided a real learning value for managers, and documents checkers as you learn different topics from subject matter expert.”

Canada Workshop
June 22-23
BMO Building
100 King Street
Toronto, Canada

New York Workshop
June 22–23
Citi Building
388 Greenwich St, 39th Floor
New York, NY

West Coast Workshop
June 22–23
City National Building
555 Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA

Virtual Workshop
June 22–23
On-Line via Zoom

REGISTER HERE >>

Program

June 22, 2023
June 23, 2023
June 22, 2023 - Toronto, New York, Virtual (All times are in EST)

08:30 – 09:00

Registration & Badge Pickup

08:55 - 09:15

Welcome

09:15 – 10:00

Commercial Case Study

Work through this commercial cases and see if we all agree on an answer.

Presenting from NYC

Jeremiah Glock, CDCS
Vice President and Trade Advisor
Citi

Presenting from Toronto

Normand Girard, CDCS 
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee

10:00 – 11:00

Voice of the GTEE Issuer

Presenting from Toronto

Frank Fortes
Senior Trade Finance Expert
TD Financial Group

Ukamaka Okpara
Specialist – Trade Finance
BMO Capital Markets

Marilyn Williams
Senior Manager
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)

11:00 – 12:00

Single Issue Questions Session

Answer these fun but complicated questions. What does UCP600 say?

Presenting from Toronto

Normand Girard, CDCS 
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee

Presenting from LA

Fiore (Frank) Petrassi
Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Chair, BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee

Presenting from NYC

Kristine Siebel
Past Chair BAFT Standby & Guarantee Committee

12:00 –13:00

Networking Lunch Break

13:00 - 14:00

Unusual Vessel Behavior

A review of the recently released BAFT White Paper: Perspectives on Evaluating Potentially Unusual Vessel Behavior. Hear from one of the authors

Presenting from NYC

Joseph Phillips
Vice President and Trade Advisor
MUFG

14:00 - 15:00

Antiboycott

Worried about recognizing Antiboycott? This expert will go into detail about what to language to look for in the LC

Presenting from NYC

Cathleen Ryan
Director, Office of Antiboycott Compliance
US Department of Commerce

15:00 - 16:00

ICC Opinion Updates

What issues had the ICC contemplated this year? Hear a review from our knowledgeable speaker.

Presenting Virtually

Walter “Buddy” Baker
Vice President, Investment Banking Division
Goldman Sachs Bank USA

16:00 - 17:00

Supply Chain Finance

17:00

Day 1 Wrap Up
June 23, 2023 - Toronto, New York, Virtual (All times are in EST)

09:00 - 09:10

Welcome

09:10 – 10:00

Compliance

10:00 - 11:00

Electronic Governing Rules

Do you receive LC subject to eUCP? What’s going on in the digital world?

11:00 12:00

Let’s discuss unique issues in Standby LC’s.

These LC’s are just unique in every way, let’s talk about them.

Presenting from LA

Fiore (Frank) Petrassi
Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Chair, BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee

Presenting from NYC

Kristine Siebel
Past Chair BAFT Standby & Guarantee Committee

12:00 –13:00

Networking Lunch

13:00– 14:00

Homeland Security

14:00 - 15:00

Access to FX

What happens to the terms of an LC if the local bank does have enough foreign currency?

Register

Registration is Now Open

Register for the 2023 Trade Finance Workshop Today. Please note you are picking a specific location when you register – seating at each venue is limited and registration at that venue will be closed when capacity of the physical room is reached. Early Bird Deadline ends May 12, 2023.

Registration Type Early Bird Registration Fee
(Until May 12, 2023)
Early Bird Registration Fee
(Until May 12, 2023)
Regular Registration Fee
(After May 12, 2023)
Regular Registration Fee
(After May 12, 2023)
BAFT MEMBER RATE BAFT NonMember Rate BAFT MEMBER RATE BAFT NonMember Rate
Toronto, Ontario $995 USD $1,195 USD $1,095 USD $1,295 USD
New York, New York $995 USD $1,195 USD $1,095 USD $1,295 USD
Los Angeles, California $995 USD $1,195 USD $1,095 USD $1,295 USD
Virtual $695 USD $895 USD $695 USD $895 USD

*Registration fee is in US dollars.


Special Team Rate: A $75 discount off each individual regular rate is available to BAFT members who register 5 or more attendees from the same institution. Complimentary or discounted rate registrants do not count towards the group minimum.
Note: Registrations must be paid in full prior to the start of the conference. Any unpaid registrations will be subject to cancellation if payment is not received three (3) days prior to the conference start date.

REGISTER HERE >>

To register for this event, please log in or create an account.

FAQ's

SPONSORSHIP


Interested in becoming a sponsor? Please contact:
Matt Kaitz
[email protected]
1-202-663-5556

Venue & Accommodations

Hotel Information


Please note, there are no official block of rooms being held in any location for this Workshop. Hotel reservations are the responsibility of attendees and should be made directly with the hotel.

Below is a list of hotels that are in close proximity to the workshop locations.  You can google additional hotels near these locations


Canada Workshop

BMO Building
100 King Street
Toronto, CA

Hilton Toronto
145 Richmond St W
Toronto, ON M5H 2L2, Canada

One King West Hotel & Residence
1 King St W
Toronto, ON M5H 1A1, Canada

New York Workshop

Citi Building
388 Greenwich Street
New York, NY

Recommendations pending

West Coast Workshop

City National Building
555 Flower Street
Los Angeles

Westin Bonaventure Hotel Los Angeles
404 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071

Hilton Checkers
535 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071


Sponsors


Interested in sponsoring the 2023 Trade Finance Workshop Series? We can tailor your sponsorship package to meet your goals.

To discuss your sponsorship options, please contact:

Matthew Kaitz
Director, Business Development
[email protected]
+1 (703) 200-9071