6th Annual Trade & Supply Chain Finance Solutions Conference

Event Review

Strong delegate numbers defied the market downturn to attend Exporta's 6th Annual Trade & Supply Chain Finance Solutions conference in Munich.  Attendees heard interesting talks on market liquidity and unlocking the value of supply chains. They also were treated to an excellent economic outlook viewpoint by Deutsche Bank's chief economist, Norbert Walter.

The programme also included a corporate case study, insurance panel discussions, a treasury viewpoint, supply chain case studies and examples of various platforms. 

Strong audience questioning and interaction, including an evening reception, enhanced the value of the event.

Description

European retailers and manufacturers are trying every trick in the book to stem the impact of the worldwide recession on their global operations and growth plans: drastic cost-cutting solutions just don’t seem to be working as credit lines and consumer demand evaporate. We gather the industry’s brightest and best to ask where their bail-out plan will come from.

Multinational companies are now trying to keep afloat by controlling the only weapon left in their arsenal: managing cashflow and working capital. By working closely with their stakeholders and establishing ‘know your bank/customer’ principles across all transactions, corporations are finally realising the tangible benefits of supply chain financing.  Even traditional trade financing tools are becoming popular again as  the scramble for liquidity at accessible spreads  becomes the determining factor between staying afloat and bankruptcy.

Banks are being asked to reorganise their internal operations to mimic those of their key clients in an effort to streamline approvals. Companies are being asked to redesign their decision- making processes – breaking down the silos between departments. This could be the biggest revolution to hit global trade since lowest country cost outsourcing.

So many solutions are being offered to the marketplace: but how can you know which is the right one for your organisation?

At this conference, meet our distinguished line up of specialists who have all helped shape the way trade is being serviced in the new millennium, as they gather to debate and discuss the instant wins on offer to those companies willing to adapt their trade financing to withstand the shocks thrown up by these unprecedented market conditions.

KEY THEMES

• Economic outlook for global trade
• Trade financing gap: how will protectionist policies help promote trade?
• Impact of government intervention: is it any good?
• The verdict on supply chain finance strategy: the corporate view
• Credit and risk distribution: how can you get yours?      
• Liquidity, cash and treasury management: how will in-sourcing AP minimise risk?                                            
• The role of third-party solution providers            
• IFI trade finance programmes                                                  
• ECA financing in Eastern European markets: implications for the marketplace
• Supplier finance: the next wave of cost improvement     

  Who will attend?

• Manufacturers
• Distributors
• Importers/ exporters
• Trade financiers
• Treasurers
• Financial officers
• Logistics managers
• Export credit agencies
• Multilateral institutions
• Alternative asset managers
• Insurers

Event Photos

Brochure

Programme

Day 1: Wednesday May 27, 2009

08.00            
Registration

08.50            
Opening address from Day 1 chairman: 
Dominic Broom, Head of Business Development, Treasury Services EMEA, The Bank of New York Mellon

Economic Outlook for Global Trade

09.00            
Keynote speech: Economic outlook for global trade 
Norbert Walter, Chief Economist, DB Research, Deutsche Bank

• Impact of global downturn on trade flows                
• Restrictions on credit and higher cost of financing: how will manufacturers stay competitive?
• Sacrificing quantity for quality: what will this rationing mean for the marketplace?                  
• Renewed calls for more regulation after the bail-out: is this effective in the long run?
• Threat of rising protectionism                    

09.30  
Liquidity part I: Credit and funding in a contracting economy

Moderated by Daniel Schmand, Head of Trade Finance EMEA, Deutsche Bank
Nabil Abdul-Massih, Portfolio Manager, Ancile Fund, Inoks Capital
Uwe Falk, Group Cash Manager & Supplier Finance Project Manager, Knorr-Bremse Group
Margrith Lütschg-Emmenegger, President, Fimbank
Nils Rademacher, Head, Liquidity and Treasury Refinancing Team, LBBW

• Impact of the credit crunch on supply chain finance (SCF): how have corporates managed to weather the storm?
• Market disruption and cost of funding for lenders     
• What is the best definition of working capital – and can we agree on an optimum level within a recession?               
• How resilient are banks’ risk appetite in times of tight liquidity?        
• The effect of government initiatives on access to credit: has it worked?
• Effect of Basel II on ratings and capacity of credit arbitrage
• Outlook for the short-to-medium term                     

10.15            
Liquidity part II : Transparency through technology: unlocking value from the supply chain

Moderated by Dominic Broom, Head, Treasury Services EMEA, The Bank of New York Mellon
Matthias Krönung, Head of Global Trade Management, UniCredit Group
Alexander Mutter, Trade Finance & Supply Chain Solutions, Deutsche Bank
Hans-Jürgen Wagner, Head of Treasury, Thales Deutschland

• Local vs foreign banks: which are better transaction partners in a downturn?
• Who has control of the liquidity management matrix: how can it be best managed?   
• Emphasis on developing a holistic solution to TF: achievable goal or unattainable aims?
• Practical solutions for driving out risk to reduce costs to improve WC ratios
• Converging documentary trade finance with open account finance                 
• Assessing the latest techniques to efficient order-to-cash cycle management

11.00            
Networking break

Collaborative Strategies for Growth

11.30
Corporate case study: Evolving SCF models – the ultimate weapon in a financial crisis

Diego de la Viña Ruiz, Assistant Director, Director of Corporate Finance, Abengoa

• Implementing supplier finance programmes to reduce costs and increase loyalty.
• Working capital: what’s the right level?
• Optimising an universal model of Cash Conversion Cycle
  

12.15
Legislative panel: Pulling out all the stops to ensure ‘business as usual’

Moderated by Dominic Broom, Head, Treasury Services EMEA, The Bank of New York Mellon
Karl Mayrl, Head, Documentary Credits and Guarantees, Erste Group Bank
Rudolf Putz, Head of the Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP), EBRD
 

• Reviewing the new initiatives: working capital scheme/ loan guarantee          
• Why do governments need to enter the primary lending space?                    
• Investigating EU-led policies to provide SME support to unblock credit
• How will DFI and IFI intervention affect the market’s appetite for risk?

13.00            
Networking lunch

Credit & Transactional Risk Mitigation

14.30
Overcoming the compromises of globalisation
Daniel Corsten, Professor, IE Business School

• From Trade Finance to Collaborative Finance on-board

• Encouraging suppliers and customers

• Setting the right financial incentives

• Overcoming fear of moral hazard and instilling trust

• Case studies supplier finance in Eastern Europe

15.00
The resurgence of ECAs: everyone’s best friend in a crisis?

Moderated by Schall, Deputy Head Trade Management, UniCredit Group
Hendrik Holdefleiss, Head of Department, Economic Research, Euler Hermes
Gerhard Kinzelberger, Associate Director, OEKB
Miroslav Somol, Deputy Managing Director, Egap Export Guarantee and Insurance Corporation
Dr Elisabeth Sutter-Becska, VP, Head of Global Export Finance, Raiffeisen Zentralbank
Csaba Simon, Sales Director, Mehib Hungarian Export Credit Insurance 

• Alternative sources of debt and leverage in emerging markets                      
• New mandates for guaranteeing trade                    
• Managing trade receivables risk                                                                                         
• Trade facilitation programmes
• Impact of the credit crunch on type of transactions and claims faced

15.45            
Networking break

16.15
Mitigating risk from the supply chain: evaluating the solutions on offer

Moderator: Robert Nijhout, Executive Director, International Credit Insurance & Surety Association (ICISA)
Peter Ingenlath, Chief Risk Officer & Vice-Chairman of the Management Board, Atradius
David Maule, Director, Political, Projects and Credit Risk, Arthur J Gallagher
Elmar Schieder, Head, Financial Risk, Trade Credit & Surety, Munich Re

• How effective are current offerings in mitigating risk: shipment/currency/operational/transactional risk?
• What is the present risk appetite like and how is it being shared between banks and other providers?
• What risks should corporates be left with?
• How are market innovations such as risk swap options and CDS faring in the new environment?
• How will the market pan out in 2009 and beyond?

17.00
Chairman’s concluding remarks

17.15               
End of Day 1 and networking reception

Day 2: Thursday May 28, 2009

08.15               
Re-registration

09.00               
Opening address from Day 2 chairman:
Axel-Peter Ohse, Head of Trade Finance Germany, Deutsche Bank

09.10               
Emerging markets panel: How are the Bric economies coping with the global downturn?

Moderated by Alexander Malaket, President, Trade Opus
Michael Sobl, Structured Finance, Executive Director, West LB
Richard Hainsworth, General Director, Rusrating

• Understanding the local financial infrastructure and credit environment in the emerging markets
• The implications of global slowdown
• Controlling the supply chain from importer to exporter and at all points in between
• Regional trade facilitation reform and infrastructure investment

10.00
Cash and Trade Convergence: Are We There Yet?
Carmen Crutchfield, VP, Pre-Sales & Marketing, S1 Enterprise International

• Debunking the myth that the method of payment greatly affects the cash conversion cycle
• Evaluating how can banks bridge the gap between operational and financial data flows to complete the Procure – Perform – Pay cycle
• Improving the decision-making process around cash flow and risk management, to increase overall revenue and retention
• Real world case study to demonstrate best practice

10.30               
Networking break

Cash & Treasury Management

11.00                Value of integrated treasury thinking
Michael Burkie, Head of Corporate Business Development, Treasury Services EMEA, The Bank of New York Mellon

• The strategic role of treasurer: extending beyond cash management
• Simplifying system environments for efficient data collection/ processing
• Total treasury solutions: removing road-blocks                    
• ERP integration
• Trend toward multi-bank connectivity for trade services                    
• Avoiding a reactive approach to operational and credit risk                           
• Improved connectivity helping address financial and operational risks
• Holistic approach to settlement risk and currency hedging

11.30
Harnessing the power of multi-banking in trade finance
Arthur Vonchek, CEO, Bolero International

• Solving complexity and administrative overheads
• Benefits to corporate treasury and operations
• The importance of bank participation
• The risks and rewards for banks
• Reaping the rewards of trade finance collaboration

12.00
SCF in action: A case study by Knorr Bremse 
Uwe Falk, Group Cash Manager & Supplier Finance Project Manager, Knorr-Bremse Group

• Collaboration through open systems: tearing down departmental silos and integrating with liquidity providers
• Challenges of initiating payment triggers: legal authorisation, accounting issues
• Implementing supplier finance programmes to reduce costs and increase loyalty       
• Outsourcing the low value processes to payment factories
• Building in a buffer, what is most appropriate and who will fund it?

12.30               
Networking lunch

What’s Next for the Financial Supply Chain Model?

14.00
Panel discussion: Swift TSU – where’s the money?

Moderated by David Hennah, Senior Product Manager, Supply Chain Solutions, Markets Division, Swift
Dominic Broom, Head of Business Development, Treasury Services EMEA, The Bank of New York Mellon
Frank Bothe, Head of Trade Finance Product Management, Deutsche Bank
Wolfgang Friedinger, Head of Trade Product Services, UniCredit Group

• How relevant is the TSU in today’s uncertain market conditions?
• How can the TSU help banks address the gaps in open account financing?
• How valuable is the bank payment obligation?
• How does the customer benefit?
• Issues and opportunities

 14.45
Supplier finance: the next wave of cost improvement
Enrico Camerinelli, Consultant, Celent

• Also known as ‘working capital finance’
• Supplier finance explained
• Benefits of more articulated supplier finance programmes
• Innovations in trade finance, best practices in supplier payment terms, and invoice automation
• How to incorporate the core elements into your Financial Supply Chain
• Best practice examples

15.15 
Chairman’s closing remarks and end of conference 

Venue

Accommodation

Delegates are responsible for the arrangement and payment of their own travel and accommodation.  Exporta have negitated a discounted rate at the Sofitel Munich Bayerpost.  Upon registration information will be provided on how to obtain this rate.  There are a limited number of discounted bbedrroms therefore please book early to avoid disapoointment.

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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