Why trade finance? As far as Suresh Hegde, head of structured private debt, is concerned, its appeal is that “It’s real, it’s tangible and you can touch it.” Trade finance supports the physical sale of a broad range of products by giving parties all over the world the trust and security they need to trade with each other. In the case of NN IP’s trade finance strategy, these are mostly transactions in commodities such as agricultural goods, foodstuffs and metals, where ESG factors are also taken into account. Why now? Institutional investors are looking for new investment vehicles and this asset class offers short duration and less exposure to market movements, while paying an attractive yield.