In this episode, we speak to Stuart Roberts, Managing Director and Global Head of Trade and Working Capital at J.P. Morgan, who shares his insights on some of the dominant narratives in trade and working capital finance today.

The discussion touches on changes in technology and industry, the next steps for digitisation, and the rapidly evolving space of ESG. Roberts also outlines the bank’s own areas of focus in terms of its alignment with these themes.

The conversation follows an exclusive interview recently published on the GTR site titled J.P. Morgan’s Stuart Roberts: A new era for global trade, which touches on these, and other themes, relevant to trade now and into the future.

Over the last few decades, Vietnam has been transformed from one of the world’s poorest nations, emerging as a key destination for low-cost and high-technology manufacturing and sourcing.

In this episode, we speak to three experts on Citi’s Treasury and Trade Solutions team about the factors driving this growth, including Vietnam’s appeal as a supply chain alternative to China, its young, tech-savvy population, as well as the impact of several free trade agreements.

The discussion follows the article titled ‘Doing Business in Vietnam’, which was featured in our recently published Q4 publication.

It forms part of a broader series of ‘Doing business in…’ articles that Citi is rolling out in partnership with GTR, aimed at companies wanting to set up in, and engage in cross-border trade with, high-growth, complex markets.

In this episode, we turn our attention to sustainable supply chains and supply chain financing and hear from BNP Paribas’ Viktor Ivanov, Head of Sustainability for Transaction Banking EMEA, and Bruno Lechevalier, Head of Supply Chain Management EMEA.

The two share their insights on the intersection of supply chain finance and ESG objectives in the context of companies rethinking and rebuilding their post-pandemic value chains with an increased focus on sustainability issues.

The discussion follows the article titled ‘Sustainable supply chains: from Covid resilience to future relevance’, which is published in GTR+ SCF 2021.

For the last year, GTR has been partnering with BNP Paribas on a series of articles called the “Trade Innovation Lab”, that focus on a particular area of innovation within trade and trade finance.

In our GTR Trade Insight podcasts, we speak to the experts behind the articles, to get a sense of what these sources are seeing unfolding within the industry.

In this episode of the GTR Trade Insights podcast, we welcome two expert guests from HSBC to discuss the evolution of supply chain finance (SCF) from cash flow provision to social good, and how the tool can be used to provide increased access to finance while helping economies build back better.

Joining us in the discussion are Andrew Robison, HSBC’s regional head of sales GTRF and CSTF Europe, and Sibel Sirmagul, regional head of product and propositions, global trade and receivables finance Europe, who provide some insight into the growth of sustainability-linked SCF and how this type of product can contribute to supply chain resilience.

In partnership with GTR, HSBC is producing a series of articles taking a closer look at some of the crosscutting issues impacting trade.

Moderated by senior reporter Eleanor Wragg, this conversation is a follow-up to an article featured in GTR’s recent SCF publication titled: “Supply chain finance: from cashflow provision to driver of social good”.

The focus of this episode is the growth of supply chain finance (SCF) in Canada, where an increasing number of companies are turning to SCF programmes to improve the efficiency of their cash conversion cycle, safeguard supplier relationships, and drive the ESG agenda.

The episode features a conversation with John Landry, Managing Director, Treasury and Trade Solutions Head of Citi Canada, where he shares his thoughts on what’s happening in this space.

The discussion follows the article titled ‘Doing business in Canada’, which showcases Landry’s views on this growing trend, and is published in the GTR+ SCF publication.

It forms part of a series of ‘Doing business in…’ articles that Citi is rolling out in partnership with GTR, aimed at companies wanting to set up in, and engage in cross-border trade with, high-growth, complex markets.

In this episode, we speak to Marie-Laurence Faure-Lepetit, Head of Digital Trade, and Alain Verschueren, Head of Innovation & DLT, at BNP Paribas’ Trade Finance Competence Centre, about their contributions to an article titled ‘The evolving landscape of bank-fintech partnerships’, which appears in the GTR Q3 issue.

The conversation discusses the ways in which collaboration between banks and fintechs has progressed, and what may still be needed to get more projects off the ground in the trade finance space.

For the last year, GTR has been partnering with BNP Paribas on a series of articles called the “Trade Innovation Lab”, that focus on a particular area of innovation within trade and trade finance.

In our GTR Trade Insight podcasts, we speak to the experts behind the articles, to bring these articles to life and get a sense of what these sources are seeing unfolding within the industry.

In this episode of the GTR Trade Insights podcast our focus is on Brazil, where longer-term economic gains could be on the horizon, given some of the structural changes that are happening across the country, including measures to create more open trade and investment regimes, reduce bureaucracy and lower import duties.

Joining us in the discussion are Andre Carvalho, Head of Trade LatAm, and Adriano Milani, Trade Head of Brazil, Treasury and Trade Solutions at Citi, who outline their reasons for optimism for Brazil’s economic outlook, and the role that trade is playing in boosting the country’s growth.

Over the last year, GTR has been partnering with Citi on a series of articles that uncover some of the practical realities of doing business in, and engaging in cross-border trade with, high-growth, complex markets around the world. We’ve also been rolling out an accompanying GTR Trade Insights podcast series, where we speak to the experts behind those articles to get a sense of what they’re seeing on the ground.

This GTR Trade Insights podcast features a conversation with two experts from HSBC, who talk about the urgency around trade digitisation, and the need for incremental changes in order to digitise trade from the inside out.

Nick Hampton, HSBC’s regional head of services, global trade and receivables finance Europe, and Sibel Sirmagul, HSBC’s regional head of product and propositions, global trade and receivables finance Europe, highlight the gradual progress towards bringing paper-heavy processes into the digital age, and the groundwork needed to ensure digitisation is accessible to all exporters.

The discussion – moderated by GTR’s senior reporter Eleanor Wragg – is the follow-up to the first instalment of a recent HSBC/GTR content series, titled "Charting a Path to Trade Digitisation", which appears in the Q3 issue of GTR.

To read the article, follow this link.

In this episode of the GTR Trade Insights podcast, we speak to Pouya Jafari, vice-president for trade innovation at SMBC and recently appointed chairperson of the ITFA Emerging Leaders Initiative, about the ongoing talent gap in the trade finance industry.

While there have been efforts from industry bodies to attract and nurture the next generation of trade finance professionals, it's clear that more work needs to be done to increase the proportion and visibility of young talent in the business.

Having been appointed to head up the ITFA initiative earlier this year, Jafari also discusses the role the scheme is playing in helping young trade finance professionals in the early stages of their careers.

In this episode of the GTR Trade Insights podcast, we speak to the team at Citi about the factors that make the UAE a high growth market.

Among these are its business-friendly environment, strategic location as a global trading hub, world-class infrastructure, and favourable government policies in promoting trade and investment, as discussed in this conversation with Yusuf Ali Khan, Trade Head for Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan; Mohammad Zubair, UAE Trade Head; and Yali Wang, China: UAE Corridor Transactor at Citi.

Citi has partnered with GTR on a series of articles aimed at companies wanting to set up in, and engage in cross-border trade with, high-growth, complex markets. In the GTR Trade Insights podcast, we speak to the experts behind these articles about what they’re seeing on the ground.

To read the Doing Business in the UAE article, follow this link.