Trade finance remains a critical enabler of Africa’s international trade, yet the continent continues to face significant challenges in meeting the demand for financing cross-border transactions. The African Development Bank’s 2026 report, Trade Finance Supply in Africa: Post-COVID Trends and Emerging Opportunities, highlights the evolving landscape of trade finance amid the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging geopolitical tensions. 

Trade Treasury Payments (TTP) and the International Trade and Forfaiting Association (ITFA) are excited to announce the launch of our updated Trade Finance Guide 2026.

Trade is one of the most important drivers of economic development and poverty reduction. It supports businesses, creates jobs, helps countries develop, and improves access to goods and services around the world. Though, it would seem, amidst the polycrisis of the current moment, the smooth movement of goods around the world can no longer be taken for granted. Conflict, sanctions, tariffs, shipping disruptions, and a more fragmented trade environment overall have all conspired together to expose how fragile global commerce can be. Nevertheless, at the heart of that vital and resiliently counter-cyclical system, and helping companies manage these rising risks, access fleeting working capital, and move goods across more protected borders, is trade finance. 

Calgary, Ottawa-Gatineau, Toronto, Saskatoon, and Kelowna led Canada’s export diversification in 2025, with Calgary and Ottawa-Gatineau posting increases of 64.67% and 64.04% respectively in non-U.S. exports. Nationally, non-U.S. exports grew by 16.8%, but many other cities, especially manufacturing regions in Ontario like Oshawa, London, and Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, showed limited diversification and signs of trade-related economic stress. The report highlights a growing divergence in local trade performance, with some cities expanding into global markets while others remain heavily reliant on U.S. demand and vulnerable to trade disruptions.king capital, and move goods across more protected borders, is trade finance. 

By: Scott Sanchon, Trade Treasury Payments
The M&A market is moving. The question is how well treasury is embedded in the deal strategy from day one. Global M&A has been rising, driven largely by corporations rather than private equity sponsors. Despite geopolitical tensions, portfolio companies that have been in funds for years are starting to take action, especially in Europe, where the market is showing a clear push towards regional consolidation, building domestic markets to compete with US and Asian rivals.

Japan has begun implementing a pioneering “corporate value collateral rights” system that enables loans to be issued based on a company’s technological capabilities, customer base, and future business potential. This initiative shifts away from traditional lending that depends on real estate collateral or personal guarantees. It prioritises assessing a company’s growth potential to secure funding. The system is expected to particularly benefit startups with strong technological assets but limited capital, as well as successors of family businesses facing capital constraints.

PingPong, an embedded financial infrastructure provider for global businesses, announced the launch of its Card to Account Payment Solution, developed in partnership with Visa. This innovative Business Payment Solution Provider (BPSP) offering enables businesses to settle any supplier invoice using their existing commercial credit card, even when the supplier does not accept card payments. Lucy Demery, SVP Head of Visa Commercial Solutions, Europe, said, “Businesses need more flexibility in how and when they pay. Through our partnership with PingPong, we’re extending the value of commercial card rails beyond traditional acceptance, enabling secure payments and improving working capital for buyers and suppliers.”

🔸 PGIM, Prudential Financial’s asset-management arm, has financed approximately $4 billion of land-banking projects in partnership with Domain Real Estate Partners to gain exposure to the US homebuilding sector.
 🔸 Land-bank transactions involve homebuilders selling undeveloped lots to financing partners with the option to repurchase them later, allowing builders to manage inventory without tying up capital in raw land.
 🔸 The partnership between PGIM and Domain, initiated last year, has completed seven residential land-bank deals, utilizing asset-based finance where loans are secured against specific hard assets rather than companies.
 🔸 This model provides steady capital and underwriting expertise to support homebuilders focused on construction rather than land ownership.
 🔸 Similar asset-based financing initiatives include Guggenheim Investments’ recent agreement with Bedrock Land Finance to fund $5 billion in residential development projects.
 🔸 PGIM is also active in other asset-based lending areas, such as digital infrastructure, recently backing Stonepeak’s acquisition of equipment financing businesses from Bank of Montreal Finance Ltd.

In this tech focused panel André Casterman discusses the current and future state of digital assets in trade finance with Sanjeev Ganjoo of Citi, Ofer Ein Bar of WaveBL, and Kshitij Dhanuka of 129Knots.

A timely discussion given the impending amendments to New York’s UCC regulation.

One of the biggest barriers to understanding trade finance isn’t the complexity of the products; it’s the definition that confuses the public.

In the industry, stakeholders have used their own terminology for decades. The result? A fragmented industry where even experienced professionals can talk past each other. 

That’s why the Trade Finance Taxonomy is one of the most important features of the Trade Finance Guide 2026.

This map explains the entire trade finance ecosystem in one place: 
🔸 Primary and secondary market  🔸 Trade instruments and documentary credit  🔸 Supply chain finance and structured solutions 🔸 Credit risk mitigation  🔸 Funded and unfunded structures  💡 Download the Trade Finance Guide 2026 free. Link in the comments.

A clear overview of how modern trade finance is evolving in a fragmented global environment, highlighting the role of technology, electronic trade laws and changing market participation, and the growing need for practical education across the industry.

A conversation with Marsh’s Stephanie Pariot on how credit risk insurance frees capital, supports structured trade finance, mobilises private sector capacity for IFC and helps maintain trade flows amid rising geopolitical risk.

A definitive reference for modern trade finance

The Trade Finance Guide 2026, jointly produced by the International Trade and Forfaiting Association and Trade Treasury Payments, arrives at a moment when global trade is under pressure from geopolitical tension, supply chain disruption and rising operational risk. As the guide notes, the digitisation of trade has begun an unstoppable, if gradual, shift, supported by new legal frameworks such as the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records. These developments are enabling the creation and use of electronic trade documents and the first examples of end to end digital processing of trade flows. The guide sets out a clear and accessible map of the modern trade finance landscape. It explains how trade finance supports the physical movement of goods across borders, using the goods, receivables and cash generated from the trade as the principal security. It also reflects the growing role of non bank capital, private credit and institutional investors as trade finance continues to mature as an investable asset class.