Trade & Supply Chain

Supply chain vulnerabilities can have long-term consequences, so a country’s resilience to disruptions is a major boon to companies seeking to locate operations.

Newsmakers | United Kingdom
The appointment of Bill Winters to replace Peter Sands as CEO of Standard Chartered has been universally welcomed, as the troubled bank saw profits fall by 30% last year compared with 2013 levels.

High Tech Sector
Playing to its youthful strengths, the Middle East has enormous high-tech potential but still has room to grow.     

Milestones | Mexico
Mexico is now Latin America’s largest annual automobile manufacturer, with 2014 production outpacing that of Brazil for the first time since 2002.

Consumer Products Sector
The region’s largest retailers continue to expand, as do multinational companies, in this growing markets.          

Royal Bank Of Scotland plans to vastly scale back its Transaction Services business. It is a further sign of the challenging times faced by global transaction banks.

FDI & Economic Development Update | Asia
Inbound FDI was down globally last year, but the lion’s share went to Asia.

Regional Report | Latin America
Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru are handling the drop in commodities prices better than the rest of Latin America.

Country Report | Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s budget deficit is ballooning, but a ministerial reshuffle has fueled hopes the kingdom is resolute in kicking its hydrocarbon addiction.

Market Analysis | Trade Finance
The outlook for trade finance in North America appears modestly positive. “Growth will be more in line with global GDP,” says Chris Lewis, executive vice president and group head, international trade services, Wells Fargo.

Q&A | Supply Chain Finance
Tomáš Hron, head of global transaction banking, UniCredit Bank, Czech Republic and Slovakia, on the limits of digitization in trade and the supply chain.

Q&A | Supply Chain Finance
Nadya Talhouni, senior vice president and head of trade finance and cash management at Arab Bank, says MENA banks are well placed to handle business needs previously covered by European banks.

Presenting the World’s Best Trade & Supply Chain Finance Awards for 2015.

Milestones | Norway
With prices less than half the level of a year ago, Norway has been hit hard by the slump in crude revenues.

Cover Story
The drastic drop in oil prices will clearly have an impact on both individual companies and on overall growth in some countries. But is the shift net positive or negative, cyclical or systemic? The ultimate outcome is yet to be seen.

Global Salon
Global Finance sat down with Jochen Dümler, president and chief executive officer of insurer Euler Hermes North America, to look at the global market for trade credit insurance.

Treasurers from leading F500 companies and executives from top banks gathered at the Harvard Club in New York to discuss how treasurers are leveraging new market developments to improve treasury operations.

South Korea | Country Report
One of Asia’s most powerful economies, South Korea is maneuvering deftly between even more powerful neighbors and allies.

A big question mark is pending on how long the US shale production will remain profitable with declining oil prices.

The global financial crisis and several factors peculiar to Georgia have affected foreign direct investment inflows, but investors willing to deal with tensions and risks will find opportunities.