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International Trade Finance Training Course

This training course gives you an in-depth look at international trade finance looking at products and solutions.

Course Overview

This is a 4-day course providing you with an in-depth appreciation of international trade finance.

Trade Finance products and solutions are covered in detail during the programme. A strong emphasis is placed on understanding the key elements of customer trade cycle analysis, and specifically, the effectiveness of using this particular risk assessment tool in identifying customer financing needs and maximising potential monitoring and control mechanisms for the bank.

Understanding the balancing of customers' needs and expectations with generating profitable and controllable business for the bank is a crucial element of this course.

The key thought provocation process throughout the course is that of Trade Finance being an undisputable, highly remunerative and lower risk alternative to balance sheet lending.

A highly interactive training experience incorporating a variety of case studies, many based on live files.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Feel confident about using trade finance terminology
• Understand how core trade finance mechanisms and instruments work
• Spot risk areas in trade finance for the bank
• Improve credit quality and control through a greater ability to evaluate international trade finance risks and strategies
• Identify opportunities to win new trade finance business from customers and defend against competitive threat
• Use trade finance as a wedge into new relationships with competitor banks and financial institutions

Have a question? Email us at: or call us at: (+852) 2273-4393

Course agenda highlights

DAY 1

• Setting the scene - Why Trade Finance?
• Commercial contracts and the use of Incoterms
• Financial instruments
• Shipping documents and the value of documents of title
• Understanding payment risk - The Risk Ladder
• Documentary Collections
• Case Study

DAY 2

• Documentary Credits
• Understanding the mechanics and risks
• Types - revocable, irrevocable, unconfirmed, confirmed
• Payment terms - sight, deferred payment, acceptance, negotiation
• Raising post-shipment finance
• Silent confirmations
• Case Study
• Revolving credits
• Update on UCP 600 versus UCP 500
• Special arrangements for middlemen
• Structure and mechanics of back-to-back versus transferable
• Assessing the risks
• Monitoring and control
• Risk reward and pricing considerations
• Complying with UCP 600
• Case Study

DAY 3

• An overview of bonds, guarantees and indemnities
• Understanding the purpose and mechanics of:
  • Bid/tender bonds
  • Performance bonds
  • Advance payment guarantees
  • Retention money guarantees
  • Warranty bonds
• Risk considerations - unfair calling, expiry dates, extend or pay, local laws
• Working with URDG 458
• Standby credits
• Understanding ISP 98
• Case Study
• Credit Insurance
• Open account transactions - raising trade finance
• Invoice discounting and factoring
• Forfaiting
• Case Study

DAY 4

• An overview of Export Credit Agencies
• Access to medium and long term finance structures
• Understanding the levels of risk coverage available
• Considerations and solutions around residual risk coverage
• Case Study
• Trade finance for importers
• Pre-shipment mechanisms - financing the supplier
• Integrated short-term import finance structures
• Trade finance structures - an alternative working capital solution
• Assessing the value of both clean and documentary finance structures
• Security documentation - letters of pledge, trust receipts and warehouse warrants
• How to conduct a customer trade cycle analysis
• The value of constructing time lines in risk assessment
• Benefits of structured facilities versus providing an overdraft to finance international trade
• Case Study

Who should attend?

• Corporate/Commercial relationship managers
• Managers/Analysts within Credit/Risk Management functions
• Relationship managers within Financial Institutions/Correspondent Banking departments
• Senior back office personnel

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Have a question? Email us at: or call us at: (+852) 2273-4393

What do you get from Ethan Hathaway courses?

• Practical. Learn from experienced and active industry practitioners and what's being practiced by your peers.
• Applicable. Apply what you learn in your job and your career
• Specially designed courses by industry active experts for industry practitioners
• Valuable. Earn more revenue or save your organisation from monetary loss. You and your organisation will quickly earn back your investment on the course fee and more
• Enjoyable. Speakers who have a passion for their topic
• Clear. Turning complex concepts into easy to understand concepts
• You gain knowledge and skills that make you valuable to your company and your career
• Instruction by industry experts
• Course notes and reference materials package
• Daily lunch, snacks and refreshments
• Certificate of completion
• Meeting your industry peers
• Ask questions relevant to your job
• Limited seats - each session is limited to between 18-25 seats
• Much, much more
• Download the course brochure to learn more

Your course instructor

Mike Skelton: Mike spent thirty years of his banking career in the trade finance arena including many years of practical experience working in the import/export documentary credit and collections departments of Midland Bank.

As Course Director of a suite of Trade Finance and Treasury courses at Midland/HSBC training college Mike was specifically responsible for delivering a number of international trade related courses, including the HSBC Trade Finance facility structuring programme to relationship managers and credit risk analysts from across the UK.

The majority of his experience is in trade finance sales where he has held a number of senior positions with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays. As Regional Head of Global Trade Services for Royal Bank he coached, developed and led a team of managers and support officers selling trade finance structures and solutions to companies across the North of England and Scotland.

Mike is passionate about trade finance and always welcomes the opportunity to share his knowledge and experience of international trade with others.

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Dates & Locations & Fees

Date	Location	Venue	Course Fee	Early Bird Fee	Register
4 May - 7 May, 2010	SG, Singapore	Marina Mandarin Hotel	US$5398	See Brochure
30 Nov - 3 Dec, 2010	HK, Hong Kong	Marco Polo Prince Hotel	US$5398	See Brochure

Early Birds Save Up To 30% Off the Regular Fee, download the brochure to learn more

Limited seats - Email us: for availability.

* Venue, dates, course fees, promotions, course content, course instructor are all subject to change

Can't find a session in a city near you?

If there's no session scheduled in a city near you, you have the following options:

• In-house training: If you have a group of 8 or more, consider having us run this course in-house for you
• Co-sponsored training: Between 5-7 people, consider a co-sponsored course - you agree to send this set number of people to the course if we run it in a city near you and Ethan Hathaway sells the remaining seats to other companies
• Distance learning: Less than 5 people, consider distance training format: live trainer presents over phone lines/web at pre-scheduled times (available only for select courses)
• Just tell us where you want the course: Let us know which city you'd like us to run this course in - we'll plan it if there's enough demand

Email us at: for more information regarding the above options.

Register for the course

You may book your place on the course by any of these methods:

1. Online booking - simply click on the "Register Me" button next to the course date you wish to register and it will take you through our quick online registration procedure.
2. Email us at: - please include your full contact details.
3. Fax us the booking form (included in the brochure) to: +852 3014-0721
4. Or call: +852 2273-4393 during normal office hours

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Related Courses

• Corporate Credit Analysis & Risk Management

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Learn more about this course

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