Buoyed by relatively healthy balance sheets, corporates have demonstrated a willingness to directly support the financial health of their supply chains since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Fraud, commodity prices and concerns over defaults have created a perfect storm for commodity trade finance – and the capacity of trading firms and finance funds to support the market remains unclear.

Financial institutions have backed the International Chamber of Commerce’s call for governments to scale up their support for trade finance to meet post-coronavirus demand.

Customers are starting to embrace digital forwarders that provide supply chain finance services as well as digitized freight forwarding.

Naveed Sultan, head of treasury and trade solutions at Citi, says the overall default risk from coronavirus will remain low and will be limited to the SME sector.

The leading banks in Euromoney’s Trade Finance Survey 2020 comment on the highlights of the last 12 months and their expectations for the year to come.

Will it be the banks that have built strong, steady relationships or those with big budgets that take transaction banking into the future?

HSBC takes the top spot in Euromoney’s survey for the third year in a row.

Voted for by more than 7000 treasury professionals, find out which banks rank top in the Euromoney Trade Finance Survey 2020.

A lack of regulation and standardization creates opportunities for businesses that can create a one-stop shop for all blockchain trade finance needs. So who is doing it?

Trade finance is gaining momentum as a securitized asset class – the resultant increased liquidity may offer corporates access to trade finance much more easily and quickly, especially as digital solutions streamline the process. Will SMEs, which have traditionally found it harder to access the market, be able to reap the benefits as well?

There has been a distinct shift towards collaboration rather than competition as new distributed ledger technology platforms continue to emerge and more established platforms extend their reach.

Its strong performance in Euromoney’s trade finance survey – despite its recent difficulties – has left some rivals scratching their heads. What lies behind its high placing?

Digital innovation has the potential to transform international trade, yet many argue that banks are lagging in replacing antiquated systems for trade with smart solutions. What is behind the delays?

HSBC retains the top spot.

Banks and traders tout efficiency and the trust benefits of a new fintech platform, but key absentees mitigate the hoped-for 'network effect'.

Seven firms launch trade finance platform to improve efficiency and services, especially for SMEs.

Recommits to holding top spot; mid-tier of most concern as oil traders struggle.

The threatened imposition of US-China trade tariffs this week is the most obvious sign of increasing protectionism, resulting in a push towards regional trade, but with consumers prioritizing speedy delivery, the move to source locally has other drivers.

Trade finance has emerged as an asset class with appeal for institutional buyers, but needs to have some issues ironed out before it becomes palatable to a broad investor base.

Concerns over rising protectionism reducing the trade in goods might be offset by the growing trend for trade in services.

The results of the Euromoney Trade Finance Survey 2018 show the emergence of two very different trends: the sustained presence of the global trade finance bank, and the rising influence of regional institutions.

The impediments to providing more trade finance to emerging-market clients are well known, but that does not make them any easier to overcome. Could the ultimate solution be in turning trade finance into an attractive asset class for institutional investors?

Although banks like talking about bringing digital services to trade finance, a surprisingly low proportion of the 7,000-plus participants in Euromoney’s annual trade finance survey are actually using the technology.

Supply chain finance management is more than just about extending favourable payment terms – corporates now need their banks to be involved all along the chain to keep their suppliers operating.

This year for the first time, Euromoney has produced the Trade Finance Stars, which recognizes providers with exceptional qualitative ratings in particular regions and areas of client service.

Some of Europe’s biggest banks have joined behind KBC’s blockchain prototype to help SMEs increase trade across the continent.

The world seems to be turning away from globalization and towards protectionism. Yet despite this challenging environment for trade, the bankers who finance it remain surprisingly upbeat.

The survey is designed to provide our readers with valuable information about the trade finance market. It asks participants to rank trade-finance providers across a selection of service categories and an overall, global category.

Deutsche Bank held onto its global trade finance crown for the third year running, but it lost out in some of the regional placings. The 2017 survey attracted nearly double the number of voters compared with 2016.