A lot can happen in a year! GTR Asia 2018 was dominated by the backdrop of ongoing trade tensions and potential ramifications of a full-scale trade war between the US and China. So what is new 12 months later? During GTR Asia 2019, the world’s largest international gathering for the trade finance community, six experts come together to reflect on a range of topics including: Trade tensions and the geopolitical environment: Have things simmered down somewhat? Are we back to a new normal or is there even a ‘normal’ to return to? Are technology transfer and IP likely to remain as key sticking points? With initiatives such as Belt & Road shifting economic activity eastwards, how are banks and corporates responding? Is greater collaborationrequired and if so how has the stated shift from multilateralism to bilateralism impacted? What are the key sectors that have been identified as being ripe for PPPs and other scalable commercial opportunities (digital transformation, cybersecurity, digital economy, smart cities, renewable energy)? Where are technology and innovation leading the market? Data and digitisation have proved key but is there sufficient regulatory oversight? Where is Asia leading the way and where does it need to catch up? Analysis by: Michael Every, Head of Financial Markets Research, Asia-Pacific, Rabobank Moderator: Parag Khanna, Founder & Managing Partner, FutureMap; Global Strategy Advisor & Author, ‘The Future is Asian’Ajay Sharma, Regional Head of Global Trade & Receivables Finance, Asia Pacific, HSBCTimothy Stratford, Managing Partner, Covington & Burling; Former Assistant US Trade RepresentativeVishal Kapoor, Managing Director, Asia Trade Head, CitiClaire Thompson, Executive Vice-President, Enterprise Partnerships, Mastercard