💥Beyond Paper: Lessons from First Brands — In Conversation with ITFAWhen the First Brands scandal hit, it sent shockwaves through the trade finance world. Lockboxes. Due diligence. Governance gaps.Once again, the question looms large: How well do we really know the trades we finance?In this joint podcast by Commodities People and the ITFA Americas Committee, Ben Hillary, Managing Director of Commodities People, sits down with Anton Posner and Todd Lynady, Advisory Board Members at ITFA, to unpack:🔍 The real story behind the First Brands fallout⚖️ What it exposes about transparency and governance in trade finance🌍 How the industry can rebuild trust, and what needs to change nextThis isn’t just another discussion, it’s a reality check for everyone in trade finance.

In this episode, Tedd George (Kleos Advisory & ARC Secretariat) speaks with André Casterman (ITFA Board Member & Chair of the Fintech Committee), Alla Papaika (Head of Investment at Done) and Nasser Sweileh (Head of Financial Crime Compliance Solutions at Eastnets) about:   - The origins and evolution of the ITFA Fintech Committee- The Committee's membership and key work streams - Their involvement in the Digital Negotiable Instruments (DNI), Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR) and Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) initiatives.

In this episode, Dr Tedd George (Kleos Advisory & ARC Secretariat), interviews Duarte Pedreira (ITFA Board Member & Chair of the TF COP Task Force) and Johnny Ohgrøn Hansen (Operations & Project Manager of the TF COP Task Force) about the origins of the Trade Finance Conference of Parties (TF COP), its mission and priorities, and upcoming events in Washington DC (20 October) and London (21 November).

ITFA Americas co-chair, Harp Mann sits down with Dan Renberg, Partner and Government Relations Practice Co-Leader at ArentFox Schiff, to break down the latest developments in U.S. tariffs—what’s driving these policies, how they’re affecting industries, supply chains, and consumers, and what businesses can do to navigate the uncertainty.

ITFA Americas co-chair, Brendan Herley, interviews Peter Clement, SVP of International Financing at Rosenthal & Rosenthal, about alternative financing solutions for SMEs. This episode covers factoring, asset-based lending, purchase order financing, and inventory financing. Tune in to discover how SMEs can unlock liquidity, manage risk, and overcome financing challenges in today’s evolving market.

ITFA Americas board member, Anton Pozner, interviews Chelsea Starley, Enterprise Account Executive, Business Information at Coface North America, about the complexities of managing a company’s credit risk in logistics and the integral role played by business information and credit insurance.

In this episode, Dr Tedd George (Kleos Advisory & ITFA ARC Secretariat), interviews James Collins, a longstanding member of ITFA's Market Practice Committee (MPC), about the SWIFT Loan Working Group and the guidance they have developed for the market.

In this episode, Dr Tedd George (Kleos Advisory & ITFA ARC Secretariat), interviews ITFA Board member and Chair of the Market Practice Committee (MPC), Paul Coles, about the MPC’s newest Working Group on Deep Tier Supply Chain Finance (DTSCF) and its efforts to bring together industry experts to produce a practical guide and solutions for the industry that can be scaled up.

In this episode, Dr Tedd George (Kleos Advisory & ITFA ARC Secretariat), interviews ITFA Chairman Sean Edwards about the association's activities in the first half of 2025, and what we have coming in the second half of the year. Topics include ITFA Week (8-10 July), the upcoming ITFA Conference in Singapore (3-5 September), TF COP 2 (November), and ongoing advocacy work in ESG and CPRI.

In this episode, Dr Tedd George (Kleos Advisory & ITFA ARC Secretariat), showcases ITFA, its mission, work and the financial professionals who give their time to drive forward the association's ambitious agenda. Here is a breakdown of the sections and speakers: 00:00 - Introduction by Tedd 02:40 - Sean Edwards & Lorna Pillow (ITFA Leadership) 12:40 - Paul Coles & James Collins (Market Practice Committee) 26:40 - Silja Calac (Insurance Committee) 37:30 - André Casterman & Sunil Senapati (Fintech Committee) 50:00 - Duarte Pedreira & Charlie O'Mulloy (Multilateral Advisory Panel & Emerging Leaders Committee) 60:00 - Chris Hall & George Wilson (Regional Committees, including the ARC) 69:00 - Wrap up by Tedd

Podcast edited from recording of a panel involving ARC members at GTR Africa in London in November 2023. Moderated by ARC Secretariat, Dr Tedd George, including ARC Chair, George Wilson (Investec), Duarte Pedreira (Crown Agents Bank), and Anne-Marie Woolley (Africa Global Trade Finance). The panel discussed the ARC’s work in 2024, its response to the ICC’s Sustainable Trade Finance Principles and what ‘just trade’ means in an African context.