denotes premium content | Dec 5 2008 Trade & Forfaiting Review magazine archive
Volume 4 Issue 2
Features
BROKER'S VIEW: Take advantage now!
As world markets - on the whole - display reassuring signs of continued strength, the international trading community is capitalising on the ever-increasing number of commercial opportunities that are available to it.
COUNTRY FOCUS: Russia's structured saviours
After the crisis in 1998, Russia became instantly unbankable. To what extent has Russia recovered and how bankable is it now, two years after the crisis? Johan Buitenga, Director of Structured Commodity Finance at ING Barings in London, offers answers.
FACTORING: Give discounting a go
Factoring, invoice discounting and structured finance show the route to export growth, argues Stuart Parker, Chief Executive at NMB-Heller in London.
FACTORING: Here's to the next 1,000 years!
Ron Kissling is Managing Principal of The Pyramid Consortium, a financial services consulting group, and a former chairman of Factors Chain International. If anyone knows about factoring, he does. He talks here about background and recent trends in the industry.
FORFAITING MARKETS: Sobering up in Tyrol
The forfaiting flock landed in the Austrian Alps last month to attend that annual event known as the Annual Forfaiting Conference. As ever, worrying issues such as the dire state of the secondary market were not officially on the programme, although delegates certainly voiced their concerns to one another between the coffees and the schnapps. Rupert Sayer was there to witness what was however a successful conference and a watershed as far as legitimising the International Forfaiting Association.
LEGAL ISSUES: No rules, no money
In structured commodity finance transactions, there are a few golden rules to follow to ensure that you are repaid first when money is scarce. Nicholas Budd, Partner at White & Case in Paris, and Head of the firm's International Trade & Commodity Finance Practice explains more.
MIDDLE EAST FOCUS: Check before you ship
Saudi Arabia has a legal requirement to ensure that many imports comply with strict safety and cultural codes. The International Conformity Certification Programme (ICCP) has been established to ensure compliance with these codes. Nigel Harvey is Marketing and Sales Manager with ITS, one of the independent companies appointed to oversee the ICCP certification process.
MIDDLE EAST FOCUS: Exports lead Israel's resurgence
Economic activity in Israel accelerated its growth rate in the second half of 1999 reaching an annual rate of some 5% in the 12 months to June 2000. This development came after three years of moderate growth at around 2.5% annually. Increased exports, investment in economic sectors and incoming tourists were the main contributing factors to this revival. Dr Gad Shifron, Chief Economist at Bank Leumi in Tel Aviv gives a comprehensive review of Israel's economic prospects.
MIDDLE EAST FOCUS: Gulf potential
Dubai and its free trade areas are providing an entrepot for growth in the Persian Gulf region. Re-export business is huge, and the internet revolution is being welcomed with open arms. Stuart Nivison, Regional Manager Trade, Payments and Cash Management Services at HSBC Bank Middle East in Dubai explains.
ONLINE PROCESSING: Outsourcing for profit
Three banks and an IT firm have established a joint venture that will deal with online documentary processing activities, leaving them to concentrate on other more core activities. The firms are now looking for a fifth partner to join them. Dennis Chong reports.
YOUR SAY: Playing double standards
It has always interested us at Texel Finance as to how the commercial banks in the trade finance and structured finance activities treat the political and credit risk insurance market.
