GTR Magazine - March/April 2009
GTR Magazine: March/April 2009
Keeping Palestine talking
At the height of the Gaza conflict in January, Standard Bank joined forces with other international and Palestinian local banks to help close a US$85mn syndicated structured project financing facility to enable the build-out of a new mobile phone network in Palestine. The deal is one of the largest foreign direct investments made in the region, and the first cross-border agreement for the local Palestinian banking sector. Rebecca Spong speaks to the deal team to find out how they managed it.
US Ex-Im to plug the gap
In the fiscal year 2008, US Ex-Im authorised US$14.4bn in financing in support of an estimated US$19.6bn-worth of US exports of goods and services. This marked a 22% increase compared to the previous year, and the bank’s activity during the first quarter of 2009 suggests business is only going to get busier. Jeffrey Abramson, vice-president of US Ex-Im’s trade finance and insurance division, speaks to Rebecca Spong about business prospects and the future of the export finance market in the US.
US alternative energy financing outlook: hot air or hard money?
Despite the election of President Obama potentially heralding a new era in alternative energy investment in the US, a worsening financial crisis and falling oil prices mean that project finance bankers are taking a more cautious approach when selecting deals, writes Theodore Kim.
A fresh start for US-Russia trade
Providing perspective on how trade between Russia and US has been affected by the downturn of Russian fortunes, Philip de Leon speaks to Ed Verona, president and CEO of the US-Russia Business Council (USRBC), based in Washington, DC. Verona has extensive oil and gas experience working in Russia, last serving in Moscow as vice-president of ExxonMobil Russia before joining the USRBC in June 2008.
Keeping the US supply chains up and running
GTR has brought together some of the leading players in the supply chain finance market in the Americas to gauge their views on the impact of recession on areas such as open account transactions, letters of credit and on managing the financial supply chain. It is generally recognised that what starts in the US ripples out to the rest of the world six to 12 months later.
Keeping trade alive
Mike McDonough, head of treasury services at The Bank of New York Mellon in New York, looks at the impact of the global economic crisis on trade finance, and offers some practical steps for overcoming the potential impasse.
Who’s paying to keep the party going?
It has been a bumpy and unpredictable past 12 months in the metals and mining sector, and prices have swung from one extreme to the other. With funding in short supply, Helen Castell asks who is left ready and willing to finance the industry?
Stamping out corruption in export deals
The UK government is set to introduce a new bill targeting corrupt business practises. Maurice Kenton and Peter Flint at international law firm BLG look at the implications of this pending legislation for exporters, investors and their insurers.
Pushing the southern frontier
The use of supply chain finance (SCF) is steadily spreading into South America. In the region's more developed countries, such as Brazil and Chile, it is already present. Aiming to push SCF further into the southern half of the continent, financial advisory firm DBA Corporate Finance has teamed up with supply chain finance provider Demica and through its joint venture is on the lookout for new opportunities in the Americas, writes Justin Pugsley.
Qatar: Turning up the heat?
Qatar finds itself in a stronger position than most as the world economy pitches into another year of uncertainty, write Nicholas Noe and Lucy Fielder.
World looks to China as trade slows
As the star of international trade, China has attracted even more attention during the global crisis. With so many economies now dependent on China’s ravenous appetite for anything from raw materials to industrial equipment, even the smallest drop-off in demand could leave already struggling markets reeling, writes Helen Castell.
Insurers rally round to support Sub-Saharan trade
GTR brought together three leading insurers from the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI), Italy’s export credit agency Sace, and US Ex-Im to discuss the challenges and trends of operating in the Sub-Saharan African market.
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Singapore - October 5-6, 2010
2nd Annual Asia Trade & Export Finance Conference
London - November 3-4, 2010
2nd Annual West Africa Trade & Commodity Finance Conference
Cairo - November 10-11, 2010
3rd Annual North Africa Trade & Investment Conference
Gothenburg - November 18, 2010
3rd Annual Nordic Region Trade & Export Finance Forum
Dubai - February 15-16, 2011
8th Annual Middle East Trade & Export Finance Conference
