2019 Calendar of Events

The dates and details are in for much of IIBLP's 2019 calendar of events. As ever, we will be in multiple countries this year working to bring together local and global thought leaders in commercial and standby letters of credit and trade finance. Mark your calendar now, and register early for the events near you!

What's New?

This year IIBLP will hold events in Dubai, Tampa, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, and New York. We have also partnered with our friends the London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) and Coastline Solutions on the Dubai and London events. Below are short descriptions of the events. If you'd like to learn more about a particular event, visit shop.iiblp.org and navigate to the event page of your choosing.

The Annual Survey of Letter of Credit Law & Practice

Our longest running event, the Annual Survey of LC Law & Practice has hosted thousands of LC specialists around the world for over two decades. Though the name implies an exclusive focus on commercial letters of credit, due diligence is paid to standby LCs, FinTech, and broader trends in trade finance. The Annual Survey will take place in the following cities:

• Tampa, USA - 12-13 March (two day)
• Hong Kong, HK - 13 July (single day)
• Singapore, SG - 15-16 July (two day)

Key topics to look out for at the Annual LC Survey in 2019 include:

• Unleashing Blockchain for Trade: Advancing Beyond the Pilots
• eUCP Version 2.0 – New, but Improved? Will It Gain Market Acceptance This Time?
• URBPO: Revision Effort Rejected. Where does that Leave BPO?
• Simplifying UCP: What Would a Slimmed Down UCP600 Look Like?
• Augmenting ISBP: What Would an Enlarged ISBP Look Like?
• Drafts: Will the ICC Guidance Paper be Accepted or Ignored?
• Negotiation: Are We Upon the Next Evolution?
• Reining in Discrepancy Rates: Is More Education the Entire Answer?
• Key ICC Opinions
• Critical LC Court Cases & their impact on your bottom line
• Trade based financial crime compliance
• and much more!

Annual Trade Finance & Compliance Conference

For the second year, IIBLP, LIBF, and Coastline Solutions will host 2-day events dedicated to the compliance in trade finance. These events will present a hybrid approach - tackling legal and technical matters relating to trade finance on the first day, and then focusing in on compliance matters for the second. The Annual Trade Finance and Compliance Conference will take place in:

• Dubai UAE 12-13 March (two day)
• London, England - 16-17 May (two day)

Key topics at the Annual Trade Finance & Compliance Conference include:

• Trade trends - Trade War
• Global hot topics
• Key findings - Survey 2019
• ICC Banking Commission official Opinions and DOCDEX Decisions
• MENA and Global - Guarantees and Standbys Legal Cases
• MENA and Global - Commercial LCs Legal Cases
• Technology update, electronic rules (eUCP, BPO), blockchain uncovered
• Legal status of Electronic documents
• SWIFT message changes 2019
• Trade Compliance Trends
• Challenges and unintended consequences
• Tales from the trenches
  • Due diligence, pricing, and dual use goods
• Digitisation, role of AI and RegTech in compliance
  • Tracking – payments
• MENA and Global Compliance issues
• Sanctions regimes and conflicting trade policy
• Global Compliance standards and legislation
• and more

The Letter of Credit Law Summit

A yearly staple in New York City, the LC Law Summit has also been held in Singapore in recent years. This session is ideal for lawyers working for firms or banks, as well as bankers and corporate LC users with an active interest in banking law and a desire to further their knowledge of how legal issues are impacting LC practice today. Law firms which are serious about trade finance matters and banks with significant LC portfolios choose to be represented for this full-day program. The LC Law Summit will appear in the following locations:

• Singapore, SG - 18 July (single day)
• New York, US - October 2019 (single day - date TBD)

The Guarantee & Standby Forum

Focusing specifically on the big business of demand guarantees and standby letters of credit, the Guarantee & Standby Forum has been held in various venues around the world for over a decade. Issues like sound drafting techniques, injunctions, dishonour, non extension, and meaningful legislation are regularly covered at this mainstay IIBLP event. This year the Guarantee & Standby Forum will be in:

• Singapore, SG - 17 July (single day)

Stay tuned for updated brochures with topics and panelists as the events draw nearer.