GTR spoke to US Exim acting chairman Charles J Hall at the bank’s annual conference in Washington to find out what the Trump administration has in mind for the future of export support in the country.

Hall talks about his frustration about the past two years, with first a lapse in the bank’s authority and, since April last year, an incomplete board of directors, preventing US Exim from approving transactions of over US$10mn.

“When I was appointed acting chairman on January 18th, my feeling was that we should be forward-leaning with the new administration to make our case, and we have done that,” he says, confirming the general impression had by delegates at the conference.

Still, Hall says he has no timeframe for when the remaining members of the board will be appointed, recognising that Trump still has many senior roles to fill within his administration. He does, however, expect the president to support the re-establishment of US Exim’s full export support powers.