The clue is in the name: Liberation Day. When President Trump announced at the beginning of his speech that he was declaring the independence of the United States from the global trade system, this was not a negotiation. The rhetoric used was violent: “America has been looted, pillaged and raped by other countries.” The scale of the tariffs imposed was unprecedented—a minimum of 10% and for some, notably China, much higher.
President Donald Trump’s “America First” trade policies have upended global commerce, shifting US policy from multilateral cooperation to protectionist tariffs
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has reported its strongest financial performance to date, with 2024 net income rising 29% year-on-year
Trade banks today are faced with a whirlwind of new changes and challenges. From tariffs and trade wars to digitalisation and data migrations, it can be a difficult space to operate in.
Trade lending between financial institutions has traditionally depended on structured agreements to operate efficiently. The BAFT Master Trade Loan Agreement
The WTO’s Global Trade Outlook 2025 reveals a projected decline in global merchandise trade, rising protectionism, US-China decoupling, and a surprising resilience in services trade amid growing global uncertainty.
Nobody dreams of becoming a corporate treasurer. Most kids, and even adults, don’t even know what a treasurer does. It’s
Ten or so years ago, if a bank wanted to purchase invoices issued by a supplier (of goods or services)
A quarter of the way through the century, we have seen an enormous amount of change, driven in no small
The UK government has suspended third-country duty – also known as MFN tariffs on 89 products, expressing an ambition that the savings will be passed on to consumers. Whilst timing of the press release appears to coincide with the imposition of 10% US tariffs applied in addition to existing most favoured nation (MFN) rates on most UK exports to the United States, the suspended tariff announcements are the outcome of a 2024 consultation.