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In this episode of GTR Trade Insights, we explore how banks are developing working capital and supply chain finance (SCF) solutions to help clients manage a business environment defined by high-interest rates and inflation. Adoniro Cestari Neto, global head of trade product and structuring at Citi, explains how companies are adapting not only their physical supply chain approaches, but also their financing strategies. In the conversation, Cestari Neto outlines Citi’s broad range of trade and working capital solutions, and how technological advancements are driving the bank’s receivables finance business.   The discussion follows an in-depth article examining the future of working capital initiatives – as featured in the GTR+ SCF supplement.

In the latest episode of GTR Trade Insights, we speak with Peru’s minister of foreign trade and tourism, Juan Carlos Mathews, about the South American country’s ambitious plans to boost foreign investment in key export sectors and grow trade ties with the UK. In the interview, Mathews outlines Peru’s importance in supply chains for energy, mining and agricultural commodities, noting that the country has grown to become the UK's third-largest supplier of LNG. He also tells GTR that Peru is working to address environmental and social concerns in the mining sector, as the country positions itself as a key supplier of metals, and notes that traditionally strong export sectors such as fruits and vegetables are being bolstered by ongoing investment in port and logistics infrastructure.  GTR’s senior reporter, John Basquill, spoke with Mathews during a Peruvian government trip to London aimed at driving trade and investments ties between the South American country and the UK. To find out more about doing business with Peru, please see promperu.uk.

In this episode of GTR Trade Insights, we explore the future of developing technologies and digital trade and speak with Valeria Sica, the managing director and head of Citi's global trade data, partnership and innovation team.  Sica is at the forefront of trade finance innovation, and in this conversation outlines how Citi’s approach to trade transformation differs from traditional trade finance banking teams. She also provides details of successful collaborations with fintechs and highlights the role of big tech companies in disrupting the trade finance industry. The discussion follows an in-depth article that profiles a number of Citi’s initiatives in this space – as published in the GTR Q3 issue.

In this episode of the GTR Trade Insights podcast, we speak to Chris Cox, Citi’s global head of trade and working capital solutions, about the future direction of trade and trade finance. In the discussion, Cox shares his insights on the post-pandemic trading environment, Citi’s key areas of focus in the trade space and the bank’s efforts and priorities around digitalisation and ESG. The conversation follows an exclusive interview recently published on the GTR site, titled: “Shaping the future of trade” which touches on these, and other themes, relevant to trade now and into the future.

In this episode of the GTR Trade Insights podcast, we welcome an expert guest from J.P. Morgan to discuss how the focus of working capital has shifted once again amid an ever-more challenging global economic and financial landscape. Joining us in the discussion is James Fraser, global head of trade at J.P. Morgan, who provides an insight into corporate cash positions and what working capital strategies should look like in the face of continued supply chain disruption, rising inflation, and rate hikes. He also discusses the results of the latest J.P. Morgan Working Capital Index, which enables companies to benchmark their working capital performance against industry peers. Moderated by senior reporter Eleanor Wragg, this conversation is a follow-up to the latest instalment in the J.P. Morgan/GTR content series, titled “How the working capital conversation is evolving”.

In this episode of the GTR Trade Insights podcast, we speak to two Citi experts about Israel, turning the conversation to the country’s trade prospects and the opportunities it presents to those looking to do business in a well-established hub of high-tech innovation. Kfeir Barkai, Head of Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) at Citi in Israel, and Ornit Shinar, Global Head of External Innovation and Venture Investing at Citi Innovation Labs, discuss what makes Israel a high-growth market in trade and provide an overview of the nation’s fintech scene. They also outline the range of support that Citi provides, both to multinational corporations setting up shop in Israel, as well as to Israeli-founded start-ups and unicorns as they expand their businesses. This is the latest instalment of a series of podcasts and articles from Citi that uncover some of the practical realities of doing business in, and engaging in cross-border trade with, high-growth, complex markets around the world.

In this episode of the GTR Trade Insights podcast we turn our attention to Mexico, where a rise in nearshoring opportunities, the growing sophistication of manufacturing, and an alignment with social and environmental considerations are driving post-pandemic trade prospects. Joining us in the discussion are Andre Carvalho, Head of Trade, Latin America, Treasury and Trade Solutions at Citi, and Eduardo Allegre, Director & Business Head Trade Working Capital at Citibanamex, who outline some of the factors cementing the country’s status as a flourishing market, including a stronger focus on ESG. Since early 2021, Citi has partnered with GTR on a series of articles aimed at companies wanting to set up in, and engage in cross-border trade with, high-growth, complex markets. In the accompanying podcasts, we speak to the experts behind these articles about what they’re seeing on the ground.

In this episode of the GTR Trade Insights podcast, we speak to two guests from Citi’s Treasury and Trade Solutions team about doing business in Kenya, a country that presents tremendous opportunities to companies looking to tap into its growing potential. In the discussion, Stewart Makura, Supply Chain Finance and Commodity Trade Finance Head, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Marianne Kilonzi, Trade Product Manager in Kenya, share their thoughts on the ways in which the Kenyan economy is making a strong comeback from the effects of the pandemic, the features that make the country a high-growth market in trade, and how the digitisation of trade and trade finance is playing out in the East African nation. Since early 2021, Citi has partnered with GTR on a series of articles aimed at companies wanting to set up in, and engage in cross-border trade with, high-growth, complex markets. In the accompanying podcasts, we speak to the experts behind these articles about what they’re seeing on the ground. To read the Doing Business in Kenya article, follow this link.  

In this episode, we speak to Stuart Roberts, Managing Director and Global Head of Trade and Working Capital at J.P. Morgan, who shares his insights on some of the dominant narratives in trade and working capital finance today. The discussion touches on changes in technology and industry, the next steps for digitisation, and the rapidly evolving space of ESG. Roberts also outlines the bank’s own areas of focus in terms of its alignment with these themes. The conversation follows an exclusive interview recently published on the GTR site titled J.P. Morgan’s Stuart Roberts: A new era for global trade, which touches on these, and other themes, relevant to trade now and into the future.

Over the last few decades, Vietnam has been transformed from one of the world’s poorest nations, emerging as a key destination for low-cost and high-technology manufacturing and sourcing. In this episode, we speak to three experts on Citi’s Treasury and Trade Solutions team about the factors driving this growth, including Vietnam’s appeal as a supply chain alternative to China, its young, tech-savvy population, as well as the impact of several free trade agreements. The discussion follows the article titled ‘Doing Business in Vietnam’, which was featured in our recently published Q4 publication. It forms part of a broader series of ‘Doing business in…’ articles that Citi is rolling out in partnership with GTR, aimed at companies wanting to set up in, and engage in cross-border trade with, high-growth, complex markets.

In this episode, we turn our attention to sustainable supply chains and supply chain financing and hear from BNP Paribas’ Viktor Ivanov, Head of Sustainability for Transaction Banking EMEA, and Bruno Lechevalier, Head of Supply Chain Management EMEA. The two share their insights on the intersection of supply chain finance and ESG objectives in the context of companies rethinking and rebuilding their post-pandemic value chains with an increased focus on sustainability issues. The discussion follows the article titled ‘Sustainable supply chains: from Covid resilience to future relevance’, which is published in GTR+ SCF 2021. For the last year, GTR has been partnering with BNP Paribas on a series of articles called the “Trade Innovation Lab”, that focus on a particular area of innovation within trade and trade finance. In our GTR Trade Insight podcasts, we speak to the experts behind the articles, to get a sense of what these sources are seeing unfolding within the industry.

In this episode of the GTR Trade Insights podcast, we welcome two expert guests from HSBC to discuss the evolution of supply chain finance (SCF) from cash flow provision to social good, and how the tool can be used to provide increased access to finance while helping economies build back better. Joining us in the discussion are Andrew Robison, HSBC’s regional head of sales GTRF and CSTF Europe, and Sibel Sirmagul, regional head of product and propositions, global trade and receivables finance Europe, who provide some insight into the growth of sustainability-linked SCF and how this type of product can contribute to supply chain resilience. In partnership with GTR, HSBC is producing a series of articles taking a closer look at some of the crosscutting issues impacting trade. Moderated by senior reporter Eleanor Wragg, this conversation is a follow-up to an article featured in GTR’s recent SCF publication titled: “Supply chain finance: from cashflow provision to driver of social good”.