2nd Annual Asia Trade & Export Finance Conference

Event Review

Widely viewed as the key region for future global growth and home to some of the world's most robust and best perfoming economies, over 250 of Asia's trade leaders were in attendance at Exporta's 2nd Annual Asia Trade & Export Finance Conference, which took place in Singapore on October 5-6.

Welcoming an unrivalled line-up of local and international corporates, global financial institutions, leading local banks, insurers, lawyers and development institutions, this comprehensive two-day conference focused on the issues and themes that have seen Asia lead the world out of recession, establising a new dynamic centred on emerging market economies.

Covering a range of interesting and insightful topics, from the development in trade flows with other lucrative regions such as Africa and the Middle East to challenges faced in trade, export and commodity financing, the conference benefitted from an unbeatable line-up of expert presenters and panellists, all of whom were keen to engage in lively debate with an attentive and engaged audience.

The evening of Day One featured a special evening drinks reception, which incorporated the formal launch of Exporta Asia Pte, the official Exporta presence on the continent. Such events strongly reflect Asia's continued appetite for trade and further showcase the tremendous market growth potential. Exporta looks forward to hosting many more events moving forward.

Description

As has been shown by its resilient response to the global financial turmoil of the last two years, Asia retains its status as the fastest growing economic region in the world, providing abundant opportunities for trade, export and commodity finance.

As with all Exporta conferences, speakers and panellists will be drawn from market leaders within Asian trade and export finance, utilising a proven format that incorporates detailed case studies, lively panel discussion and informal networking sessions, as well as a special evening reception.

The range of topics to be discussed throughout the course of the conference includes:

• Assessing and comparing the decline and recovery of Asian markets against other regions
• Highlighting successes in the trading of soft commodities and the need to manage risk
• The process of supply chain evolution and increases in trade-related messaging
• Corporate perspectives on liquidity challenges and opportunities provided through streamlining trade processing
• Impact of the crisis on trade credit insurance availability: who has been hit hardest?
• Export financing and the role of export credit agencies in assisting the private market
• Intra-regional trade flows: removing barriers to increase trade between SE Asian countries and India/China
• Political risk considerations and threats to the region: specific country focus
• Legal issues impacting on trade, export and commodity financing: how to protect your investment
• Emerging market trade corridors and the growth of south-south trade

Who should attend?

• Financiers
• Exporters
• Importers
• Local and international banks
• Commodity traders
• Technology solution providers
• Insurers
• Export credit agencies
• Multilaterals
• Lawyers
• Consultants
• Market analysts
• Policy advisors

Event Photos

Brochure

Programme

Day One

08.00 Registration and refreshments

08.50 Chairman’s opening remarks
Kuresh Sarjan, Managing Director & Head, Trade & Supply Chain Solutions, Asia, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

09.00 Emerging market trade corridors
Simon Constantinides, Head of Trade and Supply Chain, Asia Pacific, HSBC
• Extending the internationalisation of trade from developed/emerging economy lines to a new phase of ‘south/south’ trade
• Tracking how increases in commodity prices have served to increase the importance of emerging market trade flows
• The 3 trade corridors: Asia-Middle East, Asia-Africa, Asia-Latin America
• How has the growth in foreign direct investment (FDI) flows assisted development of trade flows?

09.25 Panel discussion: Changing approaches within Asian trade finance
Moderator: Matthew Strong, Managing Director, Capital Risks, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia
Agatha Tung-Gerke, Vice President, Trade Product Management, Treasury Services, Asia Pacific, BNY Mellon
Ravi Saxena, Managing Director, Head of Trade, Asia Pacific, Citi
Pravin Advani, Managing Director and Regional Trade Executive, Asia, J.P. Morgan
Tan Kah Chye, Global Head of Corporate Cash & Trade, Standard Chartered Bank
Juultje van der Wijk, Managing Director, Global Head of Trade Finance Services, ING Commercial Banking
• Moving away from the export-at-all-costs model to greater risk mitigation
• Increasing focus on intra-regional trade and reducing reliance on the traditional West
• Considering existing restrictions on availability of credit and predictions for growth
• Assessing the demand for trade finance as liquidity returns to the region

10.20 Networking break

10.50 Commodity finance: Leading the growth of the region
Moderator: Maaike Steinbach, Managing Director, Energy Commodities, Transport Asia, ABN Amro
Aarti Mehra, Head of Commodity Structured Finance, Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi
Matthew Cox, Partner, SNR Denton
Jayant S. Parande, Senior Vice President & Group Treasurer, Olam International
Fahreed Balsara, Vice President, Commodities, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Asia
• Assessing how reduction in global supply has led to increases in soft commodity pricing
• Maintaining tighter control on prices through mitigating supplier and transaction risk
• Developing a supply chain approach: sourcing, production, transportation and warehousing
• Political risk considerations: the role of governments in driving demand through large-scale purchasing

11.50 How are banks working with other actors to boost emerging market trade?
Scott Stevenson, Senior Manager, Global Trade Finance Programme, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Ashutosh Kumar, Global Head of Local Corporate Cash & Trade, Standard Chartered Bank
• Tracking how leading financial institutions are lending their support to multilateral initiatives
• Forming risk agreements and other arrangements to offset shortfalls in trade finance availability
• The importance of such initiatives in providing SME finance within a risk-averse market

12.30 Stronger than ever? Corporate perspectives on Asian market growth
Pascal Serre, Head of Project Finance, Alcatel Lucent Asia
• Changes in corporate attitudes towards achieving growth in the region
• How are trade transactions now being financed and what has changed?
• Identifying core growth sectors and countries within the marketplace
• Considering how banks and corporates are working together to manage liquidity and mitigate risk

13.00 Lunch hosted by National Australia Bank

14.00 Panel discussion: How has the trade credit insurance market responded to the crisis?
Moderator: Anthony Palmer, Deputy Chairman, BPL Global
Julian Hudson, Regional Manager, Political Risk & Credit, Ace Asia Pacific
Frank Masteling, Head of Special Products Northern Europe & Asia Pacific, Atradius
Freddie Lim, Managing Director, ITI Solutions
Mark Cooper, Managing Director, TFC Brokerage
David Anderson, Senior Vice President & Regional Manager, Asia, Zurich
• Comparison between how the short term whole turnover credit insurance market and the structured trade credit insurance market have handled the crisis
• Reviews on exposure, reduction in specific industry sectors and countries, move towards favouring long-term clients
• Changes in culture from large open account policies to single-situation underwriting
• Has Singapore established itself as a major underwriting centre for trade credit and political risk insurance?
• How effectively do the trade and export finance banks in the Asia Pacific region use the insurance market?

14.50 Case study: A trade credit insurance claim - a law firm's role
Tony George, Partner, Political & Trade Credit Risk Insurance, Ince & Co
• The wording review
• Policy compliance
• The claim and recoveries
• Lessons to be learned

15.20 Political risk considerations and threats to the region
Jacob Ramsay, Senior Analyst, South East Asia, Control Risks
• Assessing political tensions in key markets such as Vietnam and the Philippines
• Resolving territorial land disputes and cross-border sovereignty issues
• What does the future hold for rogue states such as North Korea and Burma?
• How regional political risk has been offset by reductions in individual country risk assessments

15.45 Networking break

16.15 Case study: Bank-to-bank outsourcing
Sammy Lee, Managing Director, Head of Beneficiary Marketing and Outsourcing, Asia Pacific, BNY Mellon
• Outlining the need for providing innovative solutions for financial institutions across the region
• Examining new trends such as convergence of cash and trade and new approaches to supply chain management

16.40 Panel discussion: Export financing and the challenges faced
Moderator: Sumanta Panigrahi, Director, Head of Export & Agency Finance, Asia Pacific, Citi
Antero Ranta, Director, Structured Export Finance Asia, ANZ Banking Group
Martin Jones, Country Manager for Singapore, Atradius
Claudia Belli, Head of Export Finance, Asia Pacific Export Finance, BNP Paribas
Marcel Ivison, Director, Export and Structured Trade Finance, APAC, Credit Suisse
Peter Nesbitt, Regional Vice-President, Asia, Export Development Canada (EDC)
Sarah Usmani, Head of Structured Export Finance, South East Asia, Standard Chartered Bank
• Bridging the gap between buyer/borrower demand and financing sources
• Tracking increased demand for ECA-backed credit for longer-tenor insurance transactions
• An invaluable tool: the growth of export factoring across the Asia region
• Risk sharing: benefits provided for SME financing by reducing lender exposure

17.30 Chairman’s closing remarks followed by Exporta Asia Launch Party hosted by Standard Chartered Bank

Day Two

09.00 Chairman’s opening remarks
Ravi Saxena, Managing Director, Head of Trade, Asia Pacific, Citi

09.05 China-Africa trade: An enduring alliance
Craig Polkinghorne, Global Head & Director, Structured Trade & Commodity Finance, Standard Bank
• The importance of deal structuring in providing trade security between regions
• Considering the development of structural support mechanisms for doing business cross-continent
• The increasing role of state-owned banks, ECAs and development bodies within trade and project finance

09.35 Intra-Asia trade: How South East Asian (ASEAN) countries are maximising regional strengths
Moderator: Roger Packham, Regional Trade Finance Head, Asia Pacific, Deutsche Bank
Pascal Serre, Head of Project Finance, Alcatel Lucent Asia
Vivek Gupta, Head of Trade & Supply Chain Asia, ANZ Banking Group
Steven Beck, Head of Trade Finance, Asian Development Bank
Clara Hang, Head, Global Trade Finance, OCBC Bank
• How Asean countries are concerting their efforts to return to previously-held position of economic strength
• Grouping together to embrace trade with India and China for regional economic self-sufficiency
• Movement away from the West and political risk implications in dealing with specific countries
• Providing case studies on specific success stories such as Indonesia and Malaysia

10.25 Case study: The growth in trade flows between Australia and Asia
Michael Hogan, Head of Trade, Asia, National Australia Bank
• Tracking the growth of Australian trade operations within the Asian market
• Outlining the competitive advantages driving Australasian trade flows
• Removing barriers through the establishment of FTAs with Asean countries

10.55 Networking break

11.25 The lawyers’ view: Lessons learned for deal structuring within Asia
Moderator: Dan Marjanovic, Partner, Norton Rose
Darren FitzGerald, Partner, International Arbitration, Salans
Kevin Oram, Partner, Thomas Cooper
• How legal practitioners have viewed the downturn and shifts in sources of financing
• Negotiating regional differences in practices, rules and regulations
• Dispute resolution: tracking increases in claims numbers during the downturn
• The role of insurance in laying off risk within an emerging market

12.10 India: A global success story
Kamlesh Thakur, Director, Salvus Capital Advisors
• Comparing India’s process of industrialisation against other countries in the region such as China
• Tracking expanding trade activities and the huge opportunities provided for banks and exporters alike
• Securing supplies and financing for investment within the telecoms, energy and infrastructure sectors
• Assessing how India has maximised its strengths to withstand the worst effects of the recession

12.40 How can the trade industry collaborate to improve supply chain?
Connie Leung, Head, Trade & Supply Chain Markets, Asia Pacific, Swift
• How corporates optimise trade finance processing through standards
• Considering the effective use of technology to support intra-Asia trade
• How the banks use TSU/BPO to facilitate trade financing
• The drive of growing corporate demand on stronger industry collaboration

13.00 Panel discussion: Supply chain evolution
Moderator: Kuresh Sarjan, Senior Vice President, Asia Trade & Supply Chain Solutions, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Claire Buchanan, Senior Vice President, Global Operations, Bolero
Digby Bennett, Regional Director, Middle East, Africa & Australia, China Systems
Nick Pachnev, CTO, Global Trade Corporation (GTC)
Jitesh Malik, Solutions Consulting Manager, Misys
Connie Leung, Head, Trade & Supply Chain Markets, Asia Pacific, Swift
• How corporates How the speed of recovery in Asia has led to increases in trade-related messaging
• The return to traditional instruments such as LCs and subsequent need for speedy document processing
• Going ‘back to basics’: emphasis on supply chain efficiency for cash management and risk mitigation
• Bringing the physical and financial supply chain closer together
• Focus on supporting trading relationships between big multinationals and smaller-sized companies
• How are banks and corporates working together to ensure supply chain efficiency?

13.55 Concluding remarks and close of conference

14.00 Networking lunch

Venue

Accommodation

Delegates are responsible for the arrangement and payment of their own travel and accommodation.  Upon registering to attend this event, Exporta will inform you of how to book accommodation at the Grand Hyatt Singapore.

Sponsors

Sponsorship opportunities including exhibition stands are available for this event.

To become a sponsor, please contact Tom Whitehead, Head of Sponsorship Sales at twhitehead@exportagroup.com.

Exporta's events have a global reputation, renowned for superb networking opportunities and educational presentations by high-profile speakers.

Time after time our events attract the leading companies in our market as sponsors.

See below for a full list of our Event Sponsors, Institutional Partners and Media Partners and click on the logo to visit their web site. 

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