TXF’s commodities content manager, Aife Howse, welcomes guests to our first physical APAC event since last year and provides an overview of what to expect from the day
This year has been one of crisis - just one of Ukraine but reflects a global systemic meta crisis. We are seeing the post- 1945, 1971, 1978, and 1991 geopolitical and geo-economic paradigms all unravel at once. New global cloth will be woven in time: but by whom, where, and on what basis: 'prices', 'values', or 'power' is yet to be realised. Michael Every will discuss this ongoing process, and how it points to higher geopolitical tensions and market volatility.
The fraud cases of 2020 have left a severe and ongoing mark on the APAC commodity finance sectors, and two years on, lack of liquidity remains an overriding issue. The Russia/Ukraine crisis has caused agri and oil prices to soar, and the same amount of money is buying less, all the while raising debt is an issue for all but the biggest corporates. Which other industry participants can offer support? How can banks support traders more effectively? Is there room for the bigger traders to help finance the SMEs? Are the supply issues associated with Russia and Ukraine accelerating or hindering sustainability/CSR credentials?
Although there have been various efforts to address risk of fraud, with more emphasis on adopting ‘best practices’ to give banks peace of mind, in some cases, this has only caused banks to strengthen the ‘flight to quality’ case and avoid financing smaller companies. Will commodity finance banks ever return to the APAC region with the same appetite as pre-2020? Is there any kind of bank strategy in place to support SMEs? Have banks made progress on KYC, due diligence, and CMA?
Carbon credit trading is gaining momentum in the commodities markets. This session will look at how carbon credit trading operates, which markets are already liquid, and what role traders play.
With the world’s first fintech solution aimed at preventing double financing fraud - the Trade Finance Registry - launched in Singapore, and the UK-Singapore digital Economy agreement coming into force, is a tangible difference being made by trade digitisation solutions to protect against fraud? Is digitisation the solution in an industry which lacks transparency around whether commodities backing a loan are available, and which operates on documents which are prone to forgery? What are some of the early warning signs when it comes to fraud, and how else can technology hedge against double financing?
As inflation hits, commodities prices soar, and cost of debt rises, so does cost of insurance. On top of falling capacities, it is increasingly hard to find insurers for ‘dirty’ commodities like coal, despite it making up around 50% of the APAC region’s energy mix. What changes have insurance buyers seen over the past few years, in terms of pricing and capacity? Should insurers be more thoroughly considering the social aspect of insuring coal deals? Are banks cooperating enough when it comes to approaching higher-risk deals? How can insurance remain a cost effective tool for traders in the commodities space?
Lack of security over supply was one of the most severe hinderances posed by the Covid-19 pandemic on the commodity trade finance industry. And as is the case with such a volatile and fast-changing industry, the Russia/Ukraine crisis has thrown yet another spanner in the works, whilst ongoing issues such as container shortages continue to cause disruptions. From government and corporate strategies to diversification of supply and implementation of supply chain managers, this session looks at what more can be done to hedge the disruption of physical trade flows.
The city state of Singapore is well positioned to benefit from inter-regional trade flows between Asia and Africa through its established seaports and aviation hub, its banks’ trade finance offering, and its specialised services. Singapore also has an opportunity to channel more investments into Africa as demand for the continent’s resources spikes in Asia. This presentation examines the African opportunity for Asia and Singapore’s existing interests in Africa, before making the case for enhancing Singapore’s role as an inter-regional hub for trade and investment into Africa.
The APAC region houses a multitude of alternative capital financiers of various sizes, and with the growing Trade Finance Gap now purported to be over $3 trillion dollars, compared to $1.7 trillion pre-covid, as well as the current turbulent global markets and geopolitical conditions, a diverse universe of liquidity providers for trade is even more important. More banks leaving the trade finance market within the APAC region means that alternative funding has become even more vital for an increasing number of borrowers. Although alternative financiers may not be able to yet plug the trade finance gap alone, how much more are they now being used, and what can be done to attract more alternative investment to the commodities space?
TXF’s commodities content manager, Aife Howse, welcomes guests to our first physical APAC event since last year and provides an overview of what to expect from the day
This year has been one of crisis - just one of Ukraine but reflects a global systemic meta crisis. We are seeing the post- 1945, 1971, 1978, and 1991 geopolitical and geo-economic paradigms all unravel at once. New global cloth will be woven in time: but by whom, where, and on what basis: 'prices', 'values', or 'power' is yet to be realised. Michael Every will discuss this ongoing process, and how it points to higher geopolitical tensions and market volatility.
The fraud cases of 2020 have left a severe and ongoing mark on the APAC commodity finance sectors, and two years on, lack of liquidity remains an overriding issue. The Russia/Ukraine crisis has caused agri and oil prices to soar, and the same amount of money is buying less, all the while raising debt is an issue for all but the biggest corporates. Which other industry participants can offer support? How can banks support traders more effectively? Is there room for the bigger traders to help finance the SMEs? Are the supply issues associated with Russia and Ukraine accelerating or hindering sustainability/CSR credentials?
Although there have been various efforts to address risk of fraud, with more emphasis on adopting ‘best practices’ to give banks peace of mind, in some cases, this has only caused banks to strengthen the ‘flight to quality’ case and avoid financing smaller companies. Will commodity finance banks ever return to the APAC region with the same appetite as pre-2020? Is there any kind of bank strategy in place to support SMEs? Have banks made progress on KYC, due diligence, and CMA?
Carbon credit trading is gaining momentum in the commodities markets. This session will look at how carbon credit trading operates, which markets are already liquid, and what role traders play.
With the world’s first fintech solution aimed at preventing double financing fraud - the Trade Finance Registry - launched in Singapore, and the UK-Singapore digital Economy agreement coming into force, is a tangible difference being made by trade digitisation solutions to protect against fraud? Is digitisation the solution in an industry which lacks transparency around whether commodities backing a loan are available, and which operates on documents which are prone to forgery? What are some of the early warning signs when it comes to fraud, and how else can technology hedge against double financing?
As inflation hits, commodities prices soar, and cost of debt rises, so does cost of insurance. On top of falling capacities, it is increasingly hard to find insurers for ‘dirty’ commodities like coal, despite it making up around 50% of the APAC region’s energy mix. What changes have insurance buyers seen over the past few years, in terms of pricing and capacity? Should insurers be more thoroughly considering the social aspect of insuring coal deals? Are banks cooperating enough when it comes to approaching higher-risk deals? How can insurance remain a cost effective tool for traders in the commodities space?
Lack of security over supply was one of the most severe hinderances posed by the Covid-19 pandemic on the commodity trade finance industry. And as is the case with such a volatile and fast-changing industry, the Russia/Ukraine crisis has thrown yet another spanner in the works, whilst ongoing issues such as container shortages continue to cause disruptions. From government and corporate strategies to diversification of supply and implementation of supply chain managers, this session looks at what more can be done to hedge the disruption of physical trade flows.
The city state of Singapore is well positioned to benefit from inter-regional trade flows between Asia and Africa through its established seaports and aviation hub, its banks’ trade finance offering, and its specialised services. Singapore also has an opportunity to channel more investments into Africa as demand for the continent’s resources spikes in Asia. This presentation examines the African opportunity for Asia and Singapore’s existing interests in Africa, before making the case for enhancing Singapore’s role as an inter-regional hub for trade and investment into Africa.
The APAC region houses a multitude of alternative capital financiers of various sizes, and with the growing Trade Finance Gap now purported to be over $3 trillion dollars, compared to $1.7 trillion pre-covid, as well as the current turbulent global markets and geopolitical conditions, a diverse universe of liquidity providers for trade is even more important. More banks leaving the trade finance market within the APAC region means that alternative funding has become even more vital for an increasing number of borrowers. Although alternative financiers may not be able to yet plug the trade finance gap alone, how much more are they now being used, and what can be done to attract more alternative investment to the commodities space?