Latest Updates from the EBRD TFP Trade Finance Forum
Developing
Live Updates
Co-financing opportunities in the TFP and new avenues for cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
🇪🇬 At the EBRD Trade Finance Forum in Cairo, this session brought together experts from development finance institutions, insurers and commercial banks to explore co-financing opportunities within the EBRD Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) and new pathways for collaboration across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Moderated by Marco Nindl (EBRD), the panel brought together Ahmed Shehab (Deutsche Bank, Egypt Representative Office), Kate Parry-Crooke (Marsh Specialty, UK), Layali Abdeen (MIGA), Oladipo Ajike (The OPEC Fund for International Development) and Piero Rizzi (Citi UK) to discuss how collaborative finance structures can enhance access to capital and strengthen the impact of trade finance across emerging markets.
We’re proud to support this forum as media partner to the EBRD Trade Facilitation Programme in Cairo.
Factoring Forward: Driving Trade Finance Growth in Emerging Economies
At this week’s EBRD Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) event in Cairo, a session looked at the role of factoring and receivables finance in expanding access to liquidity across emerging markets in EBRD countries of operation, from Africa to Southeast Europe.
Moderated by Irina Tyan (EBRD), the panel brought together Alexandros Kontopoulos (NBG Factors, Greece), Neil Shonhard (MonetaGo), and Tinashe Tamba (FCI) to discuss how banks, fintechs, and development finance institutions are driving the next wave of growth in trade finance, factoring and supply chain finance.
Key insights included:
Africa’s factoring market remains small but fast-growing, with penetration still below 1% of GDP, yet strong momentum led by regional initiatives and digitalisation.
Collaboration between banks, associations, and regulators is essential to scale capacity and harmonise legal frameworks, particularly through FCI and EBRD-supported partnerships.
Digital infrastructure and fraud prevention tools are transforming how transactions are validated, priced, and financed, unlocking real-time financing while reducing duplicate financing risks.
Resilience and supply-chain shifts continue to drive demand for factoring as SMEs and corporates seek alternative financing tools beyond traditional LCs and loans.
We’re proud to support this forum as media partner to the EBRD TFP in Cairo.
Live from EBRD Cairo:
How do we increase credit insurance backed factoring to drive growth in developing and emerging markets?
What open account trade and supply chain finance tools can be used to enhance working capital access for SMEs?
How can we continue to unlock liquidity from invoices (receivables) to
Fraud continues to dominate headlines. Can invoice registries, digital fraud and registries increase trust?
Panelists include:
Irina Tyan, Associate Director TFP, EBRD
Alexandros Kontopoulos, CEO, NBG Factors S.A, Greece
Neil Shonhard, CEO, MonetaGo
Tinashe Tamba, Regional Manager – Africa, FCI
We’re excited to be media partners of the EBRD TFP Trade Finance Forum held in Cairo, Egypt.
“Building tomorrow: Priorities for Central Asia and the Caucasus.”
At the EBRD Trade Finance Forum in Cairo, this session brings together leading voices from across Central Asia and the Caucasus to explore opportunities for deeper regional cooperation and stronger trade connectivity.
On the panel:
Nana Khurodze, EBRD
Anzhela Barseghyan CSCF, ARMSWISSBANK CJSC CJSC
Dilara Ismayilova, Bank Respublika
Ketevan Antidze, Commerzbank AG
Mirsaidkhon Khadiev, JSC Asakabank
Teona Jolokhava, TBC Bank
As the conversation unfolds in Cairo, the focus remains on collaboration, innovation and inclusion — themes central to the region’s ongoing growth story.
Where are we now? At the 2025 EBRD Trade Finance Forum in Cairo, discussions are focused on the evolving landscape of trade finance.
Highlights include:
- Updates on the Trade Finance Conference of the Parties (TF COP) initiative, advancing cooperation across industry bodies
- Legal and regulatory reform, particularly around Basel IV implementation and its impact on capital requirements
- Clarifying global standards and definitions for Supply Chain Finance
- The latest WTO trade statistics, providing context on shifting global trade flows
From BAFT, Tod Burwell outlined key priorities for 2025–2026 across four main pillars:
- Trade: capital regulations, tariffs, digitalisation and MLETR adoption, sustainability
- Payments: ISO 20022 migration, digital assets and stablecoins, uneven regulation, and the G20 payments roadmap (including PAPS, BRICS and other regional initiatives)
- Financial crime: tackling AML/CFT, trade-based money laundering, and leveraging AI for financial inclusion and de-risking
- Human capital: building future leadership, promoting women in transaction banking, expanding certification and training, and strengthening recruitment into global transaction banking
The conversation in Cairo highlights how institutions are aligning regulatory reform, technology adoption, and capacity-building to strengthen the trade finance ecosystem.
Shona Tatchell, Director TFP, EBRD is moderating a panel with:
- Ayman El-Zoghby, Director – Trade, Investment & Corporate Finance, Afreximbank
- Eleonore Treu, Director of Trade Finance Week, ICC Austria and TTP Editorial Board Member
- Marc Auboin, Chief, Trade and Macro-Finance, Economic Research and Statistics Division, World Trade
Organization - Sean Edwards, Chairman ITFA and Special Adviser, Global Trade Finance Department, SMBC
- Tod Burwell, President & Chief Executive Officer, BAFT
What’s to look forward to at the EBRD Trade Finance Forum in Cairo?
TTP are delighted to be media partners for this year’s EBRD Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) event at the Nile Ritz-Carlton, bringing together banks, policymakers and industry leaders from across the EBRD regions and beyond.
Here’s what’s on the agenda:
– Global outlook with the WTO, BAFT, ITFA, Afreximbank and ICC Austria on where trade finance stands today
– Egypt in focus — leading banks explore the country’s trade finance evolution and digital transformation
– Factoring and fintech — insights from FCI, MonetaGo and NBG Factors on building access to finance
– Digitalisation and MLETR — launch of the TFP Innovation Lab and a fireside chat with André Casterman, EBRD, and Bank of Africa
– Regional priorities — from Central Asia and the Caucasus to Sub-Saharan Africa and the wider Mediterranean
– Sustainability and co-financing — MDBs, commercial banks and insurers discuss green trade and new partnership models
Trade fact: Egypt handles over 13% of global maritime trade through the Suez Canal.
Trade Treasury Payments (TTP) media team are set up and ready for a day of interviews in Cairo. Keep your eyes peeled for on the ground updates on trade trends in the North African region, the latest multilateral development bank updates on trade loans and guarantees, as well as a focus on digital trade, sustainability and navigating the current geopolitics.
