International Trade Finance

Book excerpt: The 21st century has witnessed swift change in every sphere of the human endeavour. Regulatory re-alignment, digitalisation and economic and political developments have contributed to paradigm shift in banking, trade, finance and the shipping industry virtually transforming the landscape. International Trade Finance is an essential tool for bankers, exporters/importers, shippers, consultants, teachers and students navigating the procedures of international trade finance. The book addresses basic topics relating to international trade including letters of credit mechanism, collections of bills, trade customs and practice. New to this revised edition, it covers SWIFT updates, supply chain system, UKEF, Blockchain technologies, the implications of BREXIT, NAFTA, Mexico, Canada and other bilateral agreements and their implications, the US sanctions, terrorist financing and anti-money laundering provisions, and a check list to control financial crime risks in trade finance. The extended metaphor of the book is that of an arm chair tour covering fundamentals to the nuances of the hard core of the subject matter and enabling the readers to deal with complicated implementation issues in a forthright and comprehensive fashion.