To explore this in greater depth, Trade Treasury Payments (TTP) Editor Deepesh Patel spoke with Neil Shonhard, CEO of MonetaGo, and Neal Harm, Secretary General of FCI, following the July Breakfast Club in London.

#TTPulse: ICISA addresses key concerns in response to Solvency II delegated regulations consultation 🔸The ICISA - International Credit Insurance & Surety Association has submitted a targeted response to the European Commission's consultation on Solvency II delegated regulation amendments, addressing critical implications for trade credit insurance and surety providers. 🔸The consultation aims to strike a balance between protecting policyholders and strengthening insurers' capacity to finance the European economy through prudent and simplified measures. 🔸ICISA's response highlights three areas of particular concern for the industry, with significant focus on Article 311's ambiguous language around reporting requirements, which could be misinterpreted to extend to core insurance business activities. 🔸The association recommends explicit clarification that trade credit insurance, surety, and insurance of receivables linked to factoring or supply chain finance should remain outside these reporting requirements to prevent divergent supervisory interpretations. 🔸ICISA calls for continued dialogue to ensure proportionality to actual risk levels in the sector while acknowledging the Commission's objectives in recalibrating the Minimum Capital Requirement. 🔸The association welcomes the recognition of public counter-guarantees as eligible credit risk mitigation under the spread risk sub-module, reinforcing credit insurance's role in facilitating access to finance and supporting the European economy. #Solvency2 #insuranceregulation #ICISA #tradecredit #suretybonds #EuropeanCommission #regulatorycompliance

The whitepaper Electronic Transferable Records: The Adoption of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR), presented by ICC Netherlands together with a broad coalition of companies, banks and business associations to the Dutch Parliament on September 1, 2025, highlights the urgent need for legislative reform.

The ICC Digital Standards Initiative (ICC DSI), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) convened the Digital Trade Transformation Forum in Geneva on 10th September, addressing the challenge of fragmented digital trade systems.

#TTPulse: CBZ Bank Ltd secures landmark US$10M factoring facility for Zimbabwe's SMEs 🔸CBZ Bank has finalised a US$10 million factoring and supply chain finance line of credit from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), marking a transformative development for Zimbabwe's small and medium-sized enterprise sector. 🔸The facility, signed during the Intra-African Trade Fair in Algiers, positions CBZ as the first commercial bank in Zimbabwe to offer this specialised form of financing, potentially revolutionising access to capital for previously underserved businesses. 🔸Complementing the credit facility, CBZ Bank has simultaneously been onboarded onto the Africa Trade Gateway, a collaborative initiative between Afreximbank and the African Union designed to streamline cross-border trade finance. 🔸The combined developments address critical financing barriers for Zimbabwean SMEs by removing prohibitive costs that have historically limited growth potential, potentially accelerating financial inclusion across the country's diverse business sectors. 🔸The agreement establishes CBZ as a critical financial intermediary in Zimbabwe's evolving economy, addressing the persistent challenge of working capital constraints that have historically impeded SME growth across manufacturing, agriculture, and service sectors. #tradefinance #SMEfunding #factoringfinance #supplychainfinance

Securities and Exchange Commission chair Paul Atkins has threatened to ban overseas companies from using International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) if its rulemakers continue to pursue sustainability and climate-related initiatives.

China has initiated steps to allow major Russian energy corporations to issue panda bonds in its domestic financial markets, marking the first such access since 2017, as reported by the FT.

At the Komgo Rooftop Networking Event in Singapore, Trade Treasury Payments (TTP) spoke with Baptiste Audren, Chief Revenue Officer at Komgo, about how the company is helping corporates and banks manage guarantees, letters of credit, and standbys more efficiently.

#TTPulse: Kazakhstan adopts USD-pegged Stablecoins for regulatory payments 🔸Kazakhstan's Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) has launched a groundbreaking initiative allowing members of the AIFC (Astana International Financial Centre) to pay regulatory fees using USD-pegged stablecoins. 🔸The project is a first-of-its-kind regulatory framework for stablecoin payments in the region, signalling Kazakhstan's strategic positioning of the AIFC as an emerging hub for digital finance innovation. 🔸The stablecoin payment system replaces traditional methods such as bank transfers in USD or Kazakhstani tenge, which often involve delays, high transaction costs, and limited flexibility for firms whose primary treasury holdings are in digital assets.

#TTPulse: Lloyds secures digital payment future with £120M Curve acquisition 🔸Lloyds Banking Group has strategically acquired Curve, a UK-based digital wallet platform, for £120 million in a deal expected to be finalised by the end of September 2025. 🔸The acquisition showcases a shift toward owning the "digital rails" of financial services, a move driven by regulatory pressures, market dynamics, and the need to compete with established tech giants. 🔸By integrating Curve's technology, Lloyds aims to bypass third-party payment systems such as Apple Pay, addressing a key vulnerability in its current digital offerings while enhancing customer retention and operational efficiency. 🔸The UK's regulatory space has created a favourable opportunity for this integration, with the Financial Conduct Authority intensifying its focus on open banking and competition, pushing major tech firms to open their payment ecosystems. 🔸Beyond gaining immediate access to Curve's 6 million users across the UK and Europe, Lloyds stands to benefit from B2B opportunities through Curve's platform-as-a-service model.

#TTPulse: Velo Protocol (Velo Labs) to power Lightnet Group's cross-border settlement engine by Q4 2025 🔸Blockchain technology provider Velo has announced plans to integrate with Lightnet, establishing itself as the FX core for real-time cross-border payments across Asia. 🔸The integration, scheduled for completion by Q4 2025, marks a significant advancement in regional financial infrastructure by connecting blockchain technologies for more efficient international transfers. 🔸This strategic move positions Lightnet to become Asia's first blockchain-native settlement bank, offering 24/7 currency exchange services built on Web3 infrastructure rather than legacy systems like Swift.

#TTPulse: Fireblocks introduces new network for global stablecoin payments 🔸Fireblocks has launched Fireblocks Network for Payments, a critical infrastructure advancement that supports stablecoin payments across more than 100 countries, including Singapore and Hong Kong. 🔸The platform connects local payment rails, blockchains, and stablecoin systems with on/off-ramp capabilities, stablecoin issuers, liquidity providers, on-chain FX, and remittance capabilities for over 60 currencies. 🔸The Fireblocks Network transforms what was previously a fragmented landscape into one open, interoperable infrastructure layer that combines the flexibility of public blockchains with institutional-grade safeguards, including built-in tools for sanctions screening, wallet verification, and Travel Rule compliance.

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Exclusive TTP x Sullivan roundtable on scaling trade finance as an institutional asset class. Chatham House, senior leaders, investor insights.

At ICC Austria's Trade Finance Week, Florian Witt shared his experience as the new Chair of the ICC Banking Commission and outlined his plans for the organisation's direction while reflecting on his first 100 days in office.