denotes premium content | Jan 7 2009 Trade & Forfaiting Review magazine archive
Volume 4 Issue 7
Features
Commodity finance: Taking Africa to the world
Africanlion.com promises to bring the lucrative African commodity trading market to the world online. Rupert Sayer talks to its founders, who are initially concentrating on coffee.
Conference update: Forfaiting on show
Another successful turn-out was apparent for WestLB’s London forfaiting seminar for exporters, credit insurers, traders and financiers on March 15. Attendees heard from several specialists from WestLB, ECGD, British Trade International, and Business Link London on how to enhance their exporting potential.
Deal Analysis: Sonangol: Far better this time round
Angola’s state-owned oil company Sonangol has returned to the market recently with a US$455 million facility arranged by Standard Chartered. Compared to the 1999 deal arranged by WDR, things ran far more smoothly this time around: better oil prices, an improved political risk profile for Angola, and no sale of the arranging team to another bank during the deal. Rupert Sayer looks more closely at ‘the premier deal in sub-Saharan Africa’.
Documentation: Just can't break the habit
A recent report by Ronald Mann, professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor in the US, claims that high discrepancy rates have not deterred most buyers and sellers from relying on letters of credit. He looked at more than 500 letter of credit transactions he studied while visiting a cross-section of US banks.
e-business: Online finance breakthrough
The first comprehensive online financing solution for B2B marketplaces could be launched very soon according to Siemens Financial Services. It is launching ‘Capaxx’ for its customers to finance sales directly online via a B2B marketplace, assess any creditworthiness and manage receivables. Horst Munstler finds out more.
Exporter's concerns: Where's the support then?
A recent survey by Exportwise Ltd shows that a majority of UK exporters feel they are not being given enough support to make full use of their exporting capabilities. Robin Bingham reports.
People and places
Company and people news
Trade finance index: Turkey on our minds
LTP Risk Management has created the first independent total return index covering the trade finance asset class – the LTP Trade Finance Index. Here is the February performance update from Trevor Utting, Head of Research.
Your say: Credit insurance's key role secured
Credit insurance has its origins in two distinct business activities that Coface LBF is an amalgamation of.
bolero.net: completing the chain
bolero.net has brought in a fair few big names into its online trade finance system this year. Now it has added its first French bank, a Chinese shipping group, and several Japanese trading giants. UBS Warburg has also been brought in to raise more capital as Rupert Sayer finds out.
Cultural and linguistic barriers: Speaking like natives
The dominance of English as the language of the web is over, argues Mark Lancaster, a founder member of the Localisation Industry Standards Association and CEO of SDL International (www.sdlintl.com). Companies should realise this and act accordingly to meet local cultural and linguistic demands.
Customs brokerage:broking the paperless revolution
In international logistics, there is one critical component that is always required to move goods expeditiously. Information. Peter Luit, president & CEO of Livingston International Inc of Toronto explains why.
Electronic systems: cls and watch, Prepare for a Turf War
CLS and WATCH are two new electronic payment systems that are due to launch in the next two years. They certainly wont lie down and let each other dominate the market. Mark Dixon, an information systems and technology consultant specialising in electronic commerce at the University of Western Australia in Perth (mdixon@computer.org) recokons there could be a battle for dominance.
Export software: Updating and enabling
IT company Vastera has announced updates of its TradeSphere modules for importers and exporters. It has also signed agreements with a leading e-commerce enabler and a purchasing e-marketplace. Rupert Sayer explains more.
Online trading: Liquidity, transparency and settlement
A new online platform for trade finance investors to purchase and sell trade finance assets has been set up. The site also offers a resource for investors to obtain risk information on trade finance obligors and a data source for investors to obtain information on historic trade finance dealing prices. Richard Tull, director at LTPTrade Ltd, talks about the reasoning behind LTPTrade.net.
Regional focus: Middle East: Consensus among nations
Suha Hadi, from the Department of System Analysis and Design at Polands University of Lodz, outlines and discusses the result of a survey conducted by the UN-ESCWA region (Economic and Social Commission for West Asia) on EDI application, explores the status of EDI-based and EDI-like activities in this region, and then identifies one of the organs concerned with the application of EDI in transport, and transport-related systems.
Regional focus: Russia: Investment boom: to be or not to be?
Heard about Russias internet revolution? Well read on. Sergey Bondarenko and Olga Sherbakhina of the Centre for Applied Research of Intellectual Property in Rostov-on-Don reveal more.
Regional initiatives: Vive la Co-operation!
Some 30 French-speaking countries and nearly 30 French-based industries have joined to create a sinle online marketplace to promote international trade by and between small and medium-sized French-speaking importers and exporters from around the world. Horst Munstler reports.
Tradecard: How reassuring!
Online trade finance system TradeCard has launched its services for transactions in selected countries, while also agreeing an inspection deal with assurance company Bureau Veritas. Dennis Chong investigates.
