ICC Global Report on Trade Finance – Interim Report 2009

The need for data on trade finance is particularly important due to the strong demand for information from the G20 members who will be meeting in Pittsburgh on 24-25 September 2009. The purpose of this Survey was to gather high-level intermediate information from the marketplace that reflects current commercial and operational practice in the international trade finance banking community during the period from January-June 2009.

The present Survey was restricted to the respondents of the “Rethinking Trade Finance 2009” Survey – 122 banks in 59 countries in order to obtain a set of data that could be used as a meaningful comparison. In addition, we integrated the results of a few consultations conducted by ICC national committees, including those carried out by ICC UK with 23 financial institutions, primarily major international trade finance banks, but also a number of smaller banks active in the London market. The ICC Secretariat has also done specific research on trade finance in recent months, the results of which are included in this report.

Specifically, the Survey questions addressed the following topics:
• Supply of trade finance and transaction volumes
• Corporate demand for trade finance
• Pricing of trade finance credit
• Use of trade facilitation programmes by financial institutions
• Implementation and effectiveness of the G20 London Summit trade finance agenda, in particular signs of capital requirements relief under Basel II

Highlights

A survey providing an interim update to the ICC March 2009 Survey covering the status of trade finance during the first half of 2009.

The availability and affordability of trade finance.

Assessment of the first impact of multilateral trade facilitation schemes.
Impact of the G20 agenda on trade finance, in particular on Basel II.