In this episode of the Trade Treasury Payments podcast, Carter Hoffman, Trade and Technology Editor at TTP, speaks with Dr Guido Cozzi, Professor of Macroeconomics at the University of St. Gallen, about the potential global economic consequences of rising tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.

Their conversation examines the strategic importance of the strait as one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints and the risks that disruption could pose to global oil and natural gas flows. The discussion also explores how instability in the region could affect energy markets, global supply chains and inflation.

As geopolitical tensions continue to reshape the global economy, the episode highlights how energy shocks can ripple through trade systems, influence financial markets and potentially reinforce the role of the US dollar during periods of uncertainty.

In this episode of the Trade Treasury Payments podcast, Carter Hoffman, Trade and Technology Editor at TTP, speaks with Adam Cooper, Director of NextID Limited, and Luca Castellani, author of the UNCITRAL Model Laws on Digital Trade, about the foundations of trust in a borderless digital economy.

Their conversation examines how digital trade depends not only on technology, but on reliable identity management and trust services that allow businesses and institutions to verify counterparties across jurisdictions. They also explore the growing importance of metadata, the challenges created by fragmented national identity systems, and how the Two Tier Reliability Model is emerging as a practical framework for building confidence in cross border digital transactions.

As global commerce becomes increasingly digital, the discussion highlights why strengthening trust infrastructure will be just as important as technological innovation in shaping the future of trade.

Future of End-to-End Trade Digitalisation features Deepesh Patel in conversation with Luca Castellani, architect of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records, and Bertrand Chen, CEO of the Global Shipping Business Network, on the shift from paper-based trade to legally recognised digital processes. The discussion examines why adoption remains slow despite legal and technological readiness, the importance of MLETR in establishing enforceable electronic trade documents, and the practical steps required to accelerate end-to-end digital trade across global supply chains.

This episode of our podcast series with the Asian Development Bank’s Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP) explores what transparency looks like in trade finance operations and why it is central to tackling trade-based money laundering (TBML).

We examine the key challenges banks face, from complex documentation and correspondent banking networks to data silos and inconsistent due diligence standards, as well as how collaboration and information sharing are becoming critical tools in identifying and mitigating TBML risk.

To unpack how this works in practice, Joy Macknight, Transaction Banking Editor at Trade Treasury Payments, speaks with Ashutosh Kumar, Managing Director and Head of Global Transaction Banking, Asia Pacific at Mizuho Bank, about holistic approaches to TBML, the role of technology and AI in compliance workflows, and how multilateral initiatives and shared standards can help build a safer and more transparent trade finance ecosystem.

This episode of our podcast series with the Asian Development Bank’s Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP) explores why women-led SMEs across Asia continue to face barriers in accessing trade finance, and how banks are working to address these challenges.

We examine the key obstacles, including limited familiarity with trade finance instruments, documentation complexity, collateral constraints, and gaps in financial literacy, as well as the impact these issues have on liquidity, risk management, and growth for women entrepreneurs operating in international markets.

To unpack what is changing in practice, we hear from Eleanor Hill, Treasury Editor at Trade Treasury Payments, alongside Lyda Vannak of FTB Bank in Cambodia and Unengerel Chuluunbat of Golomt Bank in Mongolia, who share insights on education, tailored products, and partnerships helping to expand access and build a more inclusive trade finance ecosystem.

This episode of the podcast series explores how legal modernisation and digital public infrastructure are shaping the future of global trade, with a particular focus on developing and emerging markets.

We examine the Commonwealth’s new Model Law on Digital Trade and how harmonised, digital-ready legal frameworks can reduce trade friction, unlock transparency, and accelerate cross-border commerce across member states. The conversation also looks at why implementation, not just policy design, is where real economic impact is realised.

To unpack what this means in practice, we hear from Vashti Maharaj, Adviser for Digital Trade Policy at the Commonwealth Secretariat, and Neil Shonhard, CEO of MonetaGo. Drawing on Bahrain’s national trade finance registry as a case study, they discuss public private collaboration, fraud reduction, SME financing, and why digital registries are proving to be one of the fastest ways to expand access to trade finance.

As 2026 approaches, the episode asks a forward-looking question: with the tools now proven, which partnerships and policy alignments will define the next chapter of digital trade?

As 2025 draws to a close, Trade Treasury Payments looks back at the themes that defined the year across trade, treasury, payments, and risk, and considers what 2026 may bring.

In this year end conversation, Trade Treasury Payments’ Deepesh Patel is joined by Carter Hoffman to discuss five major developments that shaped 2025, including tariffs and fragmentation, liquidity engineering and fraud, pressures on corporate treasurers, payments transformation, and the evolving technology landscape. The discussion concludes with four predictions for the year ahead.

This episode of our podcast series with the Asian Development Bank’s Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP) explores how banks are embedding climate and sustainability criteria into trade and supply chain finance.

We look at where the biggest opportunities are emerging, from energy transition and certified commodities to circular economy flows, as well as the practical barriers to mainstream adoption, including greenwashing risk, data availability and the lack of consistent standards.

To unpack what is changing and what comes next, we hear from Simon Bodeus, Director of Sustainable Business Development at Rabobank, Ara Makarian, Business Development lead at ArmSwissBank in Armenia, and Pablo Perez Montero, who leads sustainable finance activity globally for CaixaBank’s corporate and investment banking.

This episode of our podcast series with the Asian Development Bank’s Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP) takes a closer look at insurance and reinsurance.

We shift the conversation toward risk and take a look at some of the partners helping banks reach markets that were once beyond their limits. To help us better understand this often complex world, we spoke with Irene Port, Client Relationship and Risk Manager at Munich Re.

Digital adoption in global trade is accelerating, and the industry is now confronting the three forces that determine whether new technology takes hold inside large organisations: compliance, speed to market and implementation. These pressures are reshaping how banks, corporates and logistics firms design the architecture that will carry the next era of digital trade.

To explore how these elements operate in practice, Trade Treasury Payments’ (TTP) Trade and Technology Editor spoke with Przemek Luniewski, Chief Technology Officer at Secro. Drawing on two decades of building and deploying systems across industries, Luniewski explains why trust, identity and security must sit at the core of any digital workflow, how configurability rather than custom development enables rapid change, and why the success of any implementation depends as much on people as on platforms.

His perspective provides a clear view of the technical, operational and human considerations that organisations must balance if they are to move beyond paper and build digital systems that are secure, adaptable and fast enough to keep pace with regulatory and commercial change.