DAY ONE
Monday 8th June, 2015
9:15 Registration and breakfast
10:00 Chairperson’s opening remarks
10:15 Macroeconomic outlook: Upswing potentials across the commodities spectrum
- The oil price slump: Has there been a paradigm shift?
- Changing trade flows and the notable rise of South-South trade
- Drivers of growth: Is the US overshadowing emerging markets?
- Dr. Edward George, Head of Group Research, Ecobank
10:45 The Global Commodities Lenders’ Panel: What implications will low commodity prices, geographical shifts and regulatory changes have on banks’ strategies and customer demands?
- Regulation, reputation and returns: How to navigate through a sea of regulatory requirements
- Discussing the changing landscape of bank market player and recurring predominance of traditional trade finance banks
- How are banks reassessing their exposure to risk and how does this affect their lending activities?
- Karel W. Valken, Global Head Trade & Commodity Finance Agri; Global Sector Head Grains & Oilseeds, Rabobank
- René Awambeng, Group Head, Regional Corporates and Regional Business, Ecobank
- Bernard Zonneveld, Global Head Structured Metals & Energy Finance, ING Commercial Banking
- Sabrina Borlini, Global Manager, Trade and Commodity Finance, IFC
- Moderator: Geoffrey L. Wynne, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester UK LLP
11:30 A diverse Africa: Identifying trade flows, risks and financing opportunities in a heterogeneous continent
- One Africa? Differentiating between countries, identifying strong and reliable trade players and analysing ways to quantify country risks in the African market
- How have KYC and compliance requirements affected risk appetite from global banks’ lending activities in Africa?
- What impact does the development of Africa as a destination market have on financing needs?
- Nicolas Clavel, Chief Investment Officer, Scipion
- Declan O'Brien, CEO, Barak Fund Management
- Rupert Cutler, Chief Executive Officer Financial and Political Risks, Newman Martin and Buchan LLP
- Dr. Edward George, Head of Group Research, Ecobank, moderator
12:30 Lunch and networking break
14:00 Qingdao and beyond: What lessons can be taken to help mitigate collateral risk?
- Working together: Highlighting inventory assurance needs from bankers vs. traders vs. collateral managers
- Qingdao: Already water under the bridge or do we see long term changes in metal trade financing?
- How has the insurance market rebounded and how has their role in the market changed?
- Alexander Peters, CFO, Sahara Group
- Peter Hopkins, Managing Director, DRUM Risk Management
- Colin Hunter, Head of Credit and Political Risk Insurance, Kessler AG
- Veronika Koroleva, Partner, Dentons, moderator
14:45 Geopolitical tensions and sanctions: How to direct business in a politically volatile market?
- Lessons learnt from BNP: Avoiding sanctions fault lines
- What effects will increasing sanctions and political tensions have on global commodity trade?
- How has the market reacted to Russia’s trend towards isolation and sanctions?
- Pepi Bedi, Head of Structured Trade Finance, Global Trade Finance Department, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Europe Limited
- James Cunningham, Credit & Political Risks, Miller Insurance Services LLP
- Alexander Waechter, Member of the Executive Board Ι Head of Corporate Banking, Sberbank AG
- Moderator: Mark Segall, Partner, CMS, moderator
15:15 Afternoon refreshments and networking break
15:45 Compliance needs: Contrasting lender vs. borrower expectations and issues with practicality in daily activities
- Where do banks see a lack of control measures being taken and demand more documentation and assurance?
- Where do traders see the need for better information and documentation exchange?
- Fines and reputational damage: Who should bear the costs of today’s trade finance deal making?
16:30 Benefits of cooperation: Highlighting banks’ and funds’ complimentary roles in commodity trade finance
- Geographical analysis of private capital in trade finance: Reasons for demand in emerging markets and development of private capital in smaller and/or higher-risk transactions
- Limit of returns? Analysing attractiveness of trade finance as an asset class
- Discussing needs for more transparency
- Alexandre Vieira, Galena Commodity Trade Finance Fund - Portfolio Manager, Galena Asset Management Ltd
- Suresh Advani , Senior Portfolio Manager, Head of Trade Finance, GML Capital LLP
- Vittorio Riva, Investment Director, BlueCrest Capital Management
- Antoine Boesch, Head of Business Development, Structured Trade & Commodity Finance
- Marc Weisberger, Partner, Holman Fenwick Willan, moderator
17:15 Oxford-style debate on Securitization: This house believes that securitization will evolve as a common structuring tool in structured trade finance
- Laurent Christophe, Global Head of Corporate Finance, Trafigura
- Charles Nahum, Independent Managing Director, Europe, Finacity
- Jerome Farges, Head of Corporate Securitisation Europe, Securitization & Distribution Solutions, Societe Generale CIB
- Dougall Molson, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, moderator
18:00 Chairperson’s closing remarks followed by drinks reception
DAY TWO
Tuesday, 9th June 2015
8:30 Registration and refreshments
9:00 Chairperson’s opening remarks
Mark Segall, Partner, CMS
9:15 How are trading houses aligning their strategies and repositioning themselves in a restructuring market?
- How do trading houses view the restructuring of the banking market and resulting liquidity levels?
- Does the market see regulation similar to that of banks emerging for trading houses?
- New financing avenues: Discussing alternatives of private capital and public markets
- Jean Craven, Director, Export Trading Group
10:00 Back to basics? Where is the middle ground between reduced risk, transactional based lending, RCFs and unsecured lending being established?
- Discussing the attractiveness of asset-based and recourse products to an increasingly risk-averse financing community
- Analysing the popularity of prepayment financing and trends towards import-led trade finance
- Is a preferential treatment of RCF structures over transactional lines advisable in the long run?
- Geoffrey L. Wynne, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester UK LLP
10:30 Morning refreshments and networking break
11:00 Medium-size trading houses: Different outlooks and track records of success
- Banks vs trading houses: Who will develop as the key financier of medium-sized trading houses?
- Discussing costs of KYC and due diligence of medium-sized deals: How can a standardisation of procedures make financings more attractive?
- With large trading houses increasingly utilizing alternative forms of financing, will the market see a concentration of traditional transaction based financing among medium-sized players?
- Christian Börner, Northland Capital Partners Ltd
- David Taylor, Director, Structured Trade Finance, Erste Group Bank
- Peter Köck, Head of Oil & Gas, Raiffeisen Bank International AG
- Philip Prowse, Partner, Clyde & Co LLP, moderator
11:45 Is the market experiencing overall shift in geographical layout of oil & gas trade? What efforts are being made to create a security of supply?
- Emerging markets, middle-class growth and effects on oil & gas demand
- What impact have high liquidity and competition resulting from low prices had structured trade finance deals?
- Russia’s isolation: Analysing increasing demands of pre-financing for Russian producers and lack of funding
- Dirk Kuiper, Global Head Energy Commodities, Rabobank
12:15 Are current reassessments of risk leading to increased insurance requirements?
- What is the market focussing on: Discussing credit vs. political insurance needs
- Where does demand come from? Highlighting regional differences of insurance demands and trends across industries
- Where can insurance provide cost effective risk reduction and what are its limitations?
- George Bellord, Director, BPL Global
- Andreas Seubert, Head Structured Trade Finance, Swiss Re
- Rupert Boyle, Partner, JLT Credit, Political & Security Risk
- Amy Clarke, Senior Underwriter, Atradius
- Simon Kilgour, Partner, CMS UK, moderator
13:00 Closing remarks followed by lunch and close of conference