As the climate catastrophe intensifies, the commodities finance industry is under constant pressure to become more sustainable. In this webinar, we speak to Global Heads and service providers to assess how the commodities industry can develop more sustainable supply chains, and lessen its impact on the environment.
TXF’s editor in Chief, Jonathan Bell, welcomes delegates with a short introduction
The president of WISTA, Maryana Stober, and vice president Mathilde de Mareuil, alongside PwC, talk us through the results of their survey on gender equality in the Swiss maritime and commodity trading industries, which was conducted over the past year.
Elevated interest means more difficulty accessing financing, raised inflation, and potentially even recession - the perfect storm for commodities traders in an already difficult market for anyone other than the biggest traders, whose earnings have boomed. With consumption on course to reduce and stagflation looming, what can commodity traders do to hedge this climate? All the while, the energy transition remains a key issue, particularly off the back of Russia’s continued war against Ukraine. While some argue that the conflict will ultimately fast track the transition to cleaner energy, some countries consider re-opening coal plants to cope with the fall out. Is Europe’s energy mix moving into the clear or is progression slowing?
With inflation in full force and cost of bank debt on the rise, typically-more-expensive alternative finance is becoming more a competitively priced debt tool. But given the vast trade finance gap, much more investment is needed in the space. Another issue is that new investors in the commodity trades finance space are gunning for the biggest traders - which are experiencing no shortage of available bank liquidity. This session looks at what is needed to bring new investors into the SME space – where it is really needed, and how tech solutions and the service provider industry can mitigate risk for new investors
Growth of base metals and rare earths mining is crucial to building out the renewables infrastructure required to meet the Paris climate goals. But we do not yet have green infrastructure that is self-sustaining in terms of emissions. Currently, carbon-intensive energy is needed to produce the green energy sources and green infrastructure that are crucial to the energy transition. The industry is also facing a mass lack of investment. Is it up to governments to step in and boost investment in the space? And could energy majors play a more active role in mining finance as they scramble to secure longer term offtake?
TXF’s editor in chief, Jonathan Bell, rounds off the event with a brief overview of the standout themes and takeaways
TXF's editor in Chief, Jonathan Bell, welcomes delegates with a short introduction
Florence Schurch, secretaire generale at STSA, kicks off the two-day event with an opening keynote speech
Some of the most prominent changes to the banking landscape of recent include threats to supply, particularly within the energy and agri sectors, and the need to rebalance trade flows following Russia's war against Ukraine. Whilst these major disruptions must be hedged against, longer-running focusses such as the energy transition, digitalisation, and the liquidity gap are ticking away in the background. Although digitalisation is out of the pilot phase, banks are arguably still not where they should be when it comes to digital innovation. Digitalisation can be an obvious way to reduce cost and increase security, especially as banks have become ever selective towards their borrower portfolios and have overall been scaling back lending. What is holding them back from fully utilising digital to boost security? Are banks looking at any other solutions or strategy changes to help tackle the commodity trade finance gap? And can banks afford to priorities the energy transition and ESG amid the current disruptions to energy and food supply?
What do Gulf Petrochem, Phoenix Commodities and Rhodium Resources have in common? Their downfall was entirely foreseeable. In this session, Athena Intelligence's Jonas Rey will look at a practical case study of fraud detection and prevention in trade finance.
With Russia’s war against Ukraine having posed the biggest threat to food security in recent years, it is as important as ever to look at how security in the sector can be increased. On top of this, transparency, risk of fraud and sustainability are important issues in the space. This session takes a look at how agri corporates are hedging against these issues, from advancements in digitalisation to increased structure
Higher commodities prices and inflation isn’t just an issue for traders. Producers, who are not accustomed to hedging, are now juggling high margin calls, whilst also dealing with their cost of operations and shipping having increased. How have producers changed their financing models to adapt to changing market conditions?
High oil prices have meant that credit limits in the shipping industry are used up quickly, but on the plus side, physical trading margins have gone up too. A lack of financing is still an issue for the bunker industry, as it is a niche that most banks don’t have a department for, whilst digitalisation and alt finance are still lagging in the space. What is needed to bring the bunkering industry up to speed in these areas? And is the shipping industry doing enough in terms of reducing greenhouse gas and emissions? This session takes a deep dive into how the sector could be more ambitious
Inflation is in full swing, and commodities prices and cost of debt is rising – naturally, so has the cost of insurance. On top of falling capacities and volatile commodities prices, it is increasingly hard to find insurers for ‘dirty’ commodities like coal, despite it making up around 37% of the world’s energy mix. What changes have insurance buyers seen over the past few years, in terms of pricing and capacity? How severe is the ‘flight to quality’ in insurance and is it here to stay? And with Russia and Ukraine out of the supply mix, should insurers be more open to emerging markets such as Africa?
Carbon credit trading is gaining traction in the industry, with many corporates unsure of how to offset their carbon footprint and how to manage the compliance risks surrounding this. This session marks the first time TXF Geneva Commodity Finance is dedicating a panel to carbon credit trading and will deep dive into the role that traders play in carbon credit trading – from what they can buy to the services they can provide.
A few years ago, ESG-tied loans were a new and innovative form of financing with which only a few corporates were leading the way. But now, ESG-tied loans are commonly seen in the industry, and there has been some debate around whether borrowers and banks are making their respective KPIs ambitious enough, or whether they are being transparent enough about how the KPIs are being audited and who is carrying out this auditing. What is next for sustainable finance? How can the issues around transparency be tackled as sustainable finance develops? And should this be formally regulated? Can sustainable finance evolve to include more of the ‘S’ in ESG?
With commercial banks ever favouring the biggest corporate borrowers, do SMEs face an impossible job? This session looks at the challenges faced by small and mid-sized traders and producers, from raising debt in a difficult market, to navigating volatility and supply squeezes, to higher logistical costs. How can SMEs be better supported by the wider industry? And has bank ‘flight to quality’ lessened as the industry moves on from the cluster of high-profile fraud cases in 2020?
Russia’s war on Ukraine sent shockwaves through the commodities industry as it was forced to pick up the pieces left from the drop off of an entire market. But now that players have begun to get over this initial shock, massive opportunities are presented in other regions and jurisdictions, with the emerging markets becoming more crucial to mainstream supply. Trade lines have to come from somewhere and this capital may even be used more productively now. What can be done to make these economies more bankable, and is this an opportunity to boost ESG and CSR in emerging markets?
TXF’s editor in chief, Jonathan Bell, says a few words to conclude day 1 of TXF Geneva Commodity Finance, before inviting delegates to move to the cocktail reception
One week out from TXF Geneva, TXF's commodities content manager Aife Howse catches up with CEO of Vinca Technologies Melinda Moore on how far supply chains have begun the rebalance following Russia's war on Ukraine, and how this has potential to further the ESG agenda.
One week out from TXF Geneva, TXF's commodities content manager Aife Howse catches up with CEO of Vinca Technologies Melinda Moore on how far supply chains have begun the rebalance following Russia's war on Ukraine, and how this has potential to further the ESG agenda.
TXF's editor in Chief, Jonathan Bell, welcomes delegates with a short introduction
Florence Schurch, secretaire generale at STSA, kicks off the two-day event with an opening keynote speech
Some of the most prominent changes to the banking landscape of recent include threats to supply, particularly within the energy and agri sectors, and the need to rebalance trade flows following Russia's war against Ukraine. Whilst these major disruptions must be hedged against, longer-running focusses such as the energy transition, digitalisation, and the liquidity gap are ticking away in the background. Although digitalisation is out of the pilot phase, banks are arguably still not where they should be when it comes to digital innovation. Digitalisation can be an obvious way to reduce cost and increase security, especially as banks have become ever selective towards their borrower portfolios and have overall been scaling back lending. What is holding them back from fully utilising digital to boost security? Are banks looking at any other solutions or strategy changes to help tackle the commodity trade finance gap? And can banks afford to priorities the energy transition and ESG amid the current disruptions to energy and food supply?
What do Gulf Petrochem, Phoenix Commodities and Rhodium Resources have in common? Their downfall was entirely foreseeable. In this session, Athena Intelligence's Jonas Rey will look at a practical case study of fraud detection and prevention in trade finance.
With Russia’s war against Ukraine having posed the biggest threat to food security in recent years, it is as important as ever to look at how security in the sector can be increased. On top of this, transparency, risk of fraud and sustainability are important issues in the space. This session takes a look at how agri corporates are hedging against these issues, from advancements in digitalisation to increased structure
Higher commodities prices and inflation isn’t just an issue for traders. Producers, who are not accustomed to hedging, are now juggling high margin calls, whilst also dealing with their cost of operations and shipping having increased. How have producers changed their financing models to adapt to changing market conditions?
High oil prices have meant that credit limits in the shipping industry are used up quickly, but on the plus side, physical trading margins have gone up too. A lack of financing is still an issue for the bunker industry, as it is a niche that most banks don’t have a department for, whilst digitalisation and alt finance are still lagging in the space. What is needed to bring the bunkering industry up to speed in these areas? And is the shipping industry doing enough in terms of reducing greenhouse gas and emissions? This session takes a deep dive into how the sector could be more ambitious
Inflation is in full swing, and commodities prices and cost of debt is rising – naturally, so has the cost of insurance. On top of falling capacities and volatile commodities prices, it is increasingly hard to find insurers for ‘dirty’ commodities like coal, despite it making up around 37% of the world’s energy mix. What changes have insurance buyers seen over the past few years, in terms of pricing and capacity? How severe is the ‘flight to quality’ in insurance and is it here to stay? And with Russia and Ukraine out of the supply mix, should insurers be more open to emerging markets such as Africa?
Carbon credit trading is gaining traction in the industry, with many corporates unsure of how to offset their carbon footprint and how to manage the compliance risks surrounding this. This session marks the first time TXF Geneva Commodity Finance is dedicating a panel to carbon credit trading and will deep dive into the role that traders play in carbon credit trading – from what they can buy to the services they can provide.
A few years ago, ESG-tied loans were a new and innovative form of financing with which only a few corporates were leading the way. But now, ESG-tied loans are commonly seen in the industry, and there has been some debate around whether borrowers and banks are making their respective KPIs ambitious enough, or whether they are being transparent enough about how the KPIs are being audited and who is carrying out this auditing. What is next for sustainable finance? How can the issues around transparency be tackled as sustainable finance develops? And should this be formally regulated? Can sustainable finance evolve to include more of the ‘S’ in ESG?
With commercial banks ever favouring the biggest corporate borrowers, do SMEs face an impossible job? This session looks at the challenges faced by small and mid-sized traders and producers, from raising debt in a difficult market, to navigating volatility and supply squeezes, to higher logistical costs. How can SMEs be better supported by the wider industry? And has bank ‘flight to quality’ lessened as the industry moves on from the cluster of high-profile fraud cases in 2020?
Russia’s war on Ukraine sent shockwaves through the commodities industry as it was forced to pick up the pieces left from the drop off of an entire market. But now that players have begun to get over this initial shock, massive opportunities are presented in other regions and jurisdictions, with the emerging markets becoming more crucial to mainstream supply. Trade lines have to come from somewhere and this capital may even be used more productively now. What can be done to make these economies more bankable, and is this an opportunity to boost ESG and CSR in emerging markets?
TXF’s editor in chief, Jonathan Bell, says a few words to conclude day 1 of TXF Geneva Commodity Finance, before inviting delegates to move to the cocktail reception
TXF’s editor in Chief, Jonathan Bell, welcomes delegates with a short introduction
The president of WISTA, Maryana Stober, and vice president Mathilde de Mareuil, alongside PwC, talk us through the results of their survey on gender equality in the Swiss maritime and commodity trading industries, which was conducted over the past year.
Elevated interest means more difficulty accessing financing, raised inflation, and potentially even recession - the perfect storm for commodities traders in an already difficult market for anyone other than the biggest traders, whose earnings have boomed. With consumption on course to reduce and stagflation looming, what can commodity traders do to hedge this climate? All the while, the energy transition remains a key issue, particularly off the back of Russia’s continued war against Ukraine. While some argue that the conflict will ultimately fast track the transition to cleaner energy, some countries consider re-opening coal plants to cope with the fall out. Is Europe’s energy mix moving into the clear or is progression slowing?
With inflation in full force and cost of bank debt on the rise, typically-more-expensive alternative finance is becoming more a competitively priced debt tool. But given the vast trade finance gap, much more investment is needed in the space. Another issue is that new investors in the commodity trades finance space are gunning for the biggest traders - which are experiencing no shortage of available bank liquidity. This session looks at what is needed to bring new investors into the SME space – where it is really needed, and how tech solutions and the service provider industry can mitigate risk for new investors
Growth of base metals and rare earths mining is crucial to building out the renewables infrastructure required to meet the Paris climate goals. But we do not yet have green infrastructure that is self-sustaining in terms of emissions. Currently, carbon-intensive energy is needed to produce the green energy sources and green infrastructure that are crucial to the energy transition. The industry is also facing a mass lack of investment. Is it up to governments to step in and boost investment in the space? And could energy majors play a more active role in mining finance as they scramble to secure longer term offtake?
TXF’s editor in chief, Jonathan Bell, rounds off the event with a brief overview of the standout themes and takeaways
As the climate catastrophe intensifies, the commodities finance industry is under constant pressure to become more sustainable. In this webinar, we speak to Global Heads and service providers to assess how the commodities industry can develop more sustainable supply chains, and lessen its impact on the environment.
