Jump right in and take sustainability to where the client is at in their journey. That’s the strong message of TXF’s discussion with Donna Laviolette, Senior Manager, Global Sustainability at Xylem and Donna McNamara, Global Head, Trade Product Commercialization, Treasury and Trade Solutions at Citi, hosted by Citi. How does financing trade sustainably work in practice? 

In a wide ranging discussion, TXF is joined by Melanie Lawrence of Afreximbank, Gabriel Buck of GKB Ventures and Chris Mitman of Investec to discuss challenges faced in providing export finance to Africa

Having only started his new role two months ago in the midst of a global pandemic, Arnaud Floris, head of West, Central and North Africa at Bpifrance has been busy. Floris speaks to TXF to discuss the French ECA's response to the pandemic on the continent.   

TXF is joined by Gabby Buck to discuss the impact that Covid-19 is having and will have on export finance. Whilst acknowledging this is a very different environment for everyone, we draw on experiences from the financial crisis, and discuss what ECAs will do to ease pain now, and re-build the global economy in the years to come. ECAs will also need banks, and the discussion looks at what banks should and should not do to navigate a way through this. In both cases, speed in terms of decision-making and execution may be critical.

Stephen Renna, chief banking officer at Export-Import Bank of the US talks to TXF about US Exim’s response to Covid-19 as it hits the ground running following full reauthorisation. How is US Exim filling the gaps left by the private capital market in both guarantees, working capital support and SCF? What about cooperation with other ECAs when the hard work of recovery really starts?

Steven Beck, head of trade and supply chain finance at ADB talks to TXF from lockdown Manila about how ADB is supercharging its existing trade finance programs to keep trade flowing amid Covid-19 and how both the digitisation and sustainability agenda will be maximised.   

Gabriel Cumenge, deputy secretary of the French Ministry of Finance, DG Tresor tells TXF the importance of ECAs continuing their roles as the shock absorbers of global trade and driving the sustainability agenda through the current crisis.

TXF spoke with James Esdaile, managing director at BPL Global, to discuss the significant exposure private insurers have to short-term trade credit and supply chain finance risk amid the Covid-19 crisis, as ECAs re-enter the private market as concerns grow over the sector being under strain. Will the pandemic change the dynamic of the CPRI market? And how will the private sector look in the wake of coronavirus?

TXF’s ‘in viro veritas’ series looks at the effects of the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic on trade and export finance. The first in the series was an early stage call to action, the second showed ECAs picking up their activities and this, the third, looks at more a coordinated response from institutions.

There’s been a lot of activity behind the scenes at ECAs amid the abrupt systemic shock of coronavirus. Some have been faster, and some more transparent communicators, than others. Is it a judge of character? TXF looks at the degrees of action in the market and applauds those taking steps to help SMEs and smaller businesses. After all, it’s the sector many profess to want to support in times of need, and now is a great opportunity.