denotes premium content | Dec 5 2008 Trade & Forfaiting Review magazine archive
Volume 4 Issue 1
Features
COUNTRY FOCUS: NORTH KOREA: Light in the hermit kingdom
When TFR included the comment
COVER & PAYMENTS TABLE: Sub-Saharan Africa
ECA and private insurance cover for the region, plus other economic and social data.
FORFAITING RATES
Indicative discount to yield rates (%) supplied by Standard Bank London
LATIN AMERICA: MEXICO: Almost emerged
With the conclusion of BBVA's acquisition of shares in Bancomer on July 1, the bank has consolidated itself as the leading Mexican financial institution. Peter West, Chief Economist and Amalia Estenssoro, Senior Economist at BBVA Securities in London, look at Mexico's economic potential, while Martin Greenwood, Head of Forfaiting in London, considers the trade angle.
LEASING: Planes, trains and Hollywood blockbusters
When a business needs to make a major purchase, for use abroad, there are several funding options. David Clarke, Director of Lombard's cross-border international leasing arm at The Royal Bank of Scotland, explains why leasing is a tax efficient option.
REGIONAL FOCUS: ASIA; Structured saviour
Trade finance, especially structured trade finance, has managed to bring Asia back out of the abyss of its financial crisis some years ago. Michael Goh, Assistant General Manager, Trade & Commodity Finance, at Sumitomo Bank in Singapore explains how.
Reshaping the commodity trade
The commodity trade is facing a whole host of changes which will require an ability to adapt to an all-new environment. These include increasing legislation in the world's main consumer markets, growing consolidation on both sides of the supply chain but most importantly the advent of the information age, as Justin Pugsley reports.
TECHNOLOGY & TRADE: B2B's place in the sun
Today's financial services industry is more competitive and fast changing than ever before as new players either enter the business or cross traditional industry borders and a number of existing players continue a policy of strategic diversification. Graham Sylvester-Evans, Vice-President and Senior Product Manager, and Daniel Cotti, Vice-President and Trade Director, at Citibank in London, explain more.
TECHNOLOGY & TRADE: Open online payment
Several banks and IT companies have come together to offer a complete and open payments system to e-marketplaces that will allow buyers and sellers to access services provided by any participating banks or financial services companies. Dennis Chong investigates.
YOUR SAY: Finance and sales: the right balance
Having the good fortune to be invited to this year's Farnborough air show in the UK, it struck me that one of the inevitable features of each of these is the announcement of huge and important export deals for British manufacturers. These big ticket deals will undoubtedly be facilitated by big ticket financing packages with big ticket banks heralding their roles, and most likely with solid support from ECGD or other export credit agencies (ECAs).
COMMODITY FINANCE: COCOA: Clubbing together for Cocobod
The trade finance world's favourite commodity financing has mandated arrangers and underwriters. Pricing has bounced back and Cocobod has accepted a club of arrangers rather than the usual one or two. This is amid a background of gradual liberalisation of the Ghanaian cocoa industry. Rupert Sayer reports.
COMMODITY FINANCE: COFFEE: A green first
An online exchange for trading green coffee has been launched. It is the first of its kind and should be spreading to encompass other commodities soon. Anka Kremeurt reports.
FORFAITING MARKETS: LFC is back!
After two years of losses and continuous scrutiny by the financial press, London Forfaiting Company is back into profit and feeling bullish. Lessons have been learned, as Rupert Sayer finds out.
