8:30 – 9:00 Registration & Check-In
9:00 – 9:30 Welcome & Introductions: Michael BYRNE (IIBLP)
9:30 – 10:30 Trade Finance in a Geopolitical Economy: What It Means for LCs
Trade Finance faces mounting uncertainty across markets, regulation, and operations. From fraud and eB/Ls to correspondent banking pressures and misinformation on LinkedIn, our panelists will discuss the developments shaping the LC market today.
- Correspondent Banking Relationship Woes: Getting Easier or Harder to Maintain?
- Trade Finance Fraud Detection: Do Banks have It Right?
- Electronic B/L: What More is Needed to Expand Use?
- Regulatory Treatment of Trade Finance Products: How are Banks Coping?
- LCs on LinkedIn: Is Misinformation a Major Problem?
- Rules and Standards: Would a Revised UCP and/or ISBP Improve LC Practice?
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee & Networking Break
11:00 – 12:00 When LCs Go to Court
Our panel examines several notable cases and the practical lessons they hold for banks and trade professionals.
- Moeve Trading SAU v. Mael Trading FZ LLC (LC as a conditional payment instrument, permitting seller to claim against buyer if issuing bank refuses to pay)
- Valency International Pte Ltd v. JSW International Tradecorp (conversion claim by importer’s financier holding B/Ls pledged to LC issuer and released under trust receipt)
- DMF v. DMG (charterparty arrangement with email evidence showing terms that mentions on B/Ls of Iran are to be omitted)
- Trafigura PTE Ltd. v. Gupta (anatomy of massive, multi-year fraud orchestrated against a leading commodities trader and third parties)
- Luoyang Aviation Construction Co. v. Korea Kookmin Bank (transferable credits under UCP600 Article 38)
- Ningbo Nanheng Import & Export Co. v. Shinhan Bank (fraudulent ocean B/L, complying surrendered B/L presented)
- BCP v. China Aviation Oil – Independence Principle & LOI Use Winson Oil Trading – If Not Unconscionability, a “New“ Fraud Exception: Recklessness
12:00 – 12:30 Wait… Didn’t We Finance This Already?“
Fraud remains one of the most persistent risks in TF. From fake documents to sophisticated schemes exploiting LC structures, our panel examines how these frauds work and what banks can do to detect them earlier.
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch Break
13:30 – 14:00 Digital Docs: MLETR, UN NCDs, and eB/Ls
Our panel examines what these developments mean for eB/L adoption, digital negotiable cargo documents, and whether digitalization will finally simplify document checking–or simply add one more document to examine under UCP.
14:00 – 14:45 When ISBP Isn’t Enough: Real World Doc Examination
Where the published ISBP ends and everyday banking practice begins, how do banks and LC specialists navigate the gray areas of document examination? This panel explores how practitioners apply “international standard banking practice“ in the real world, including issues such as non-documentary conditions, “without delay,“ drafts, and issuer expectations when requesting a nominated bank to add its confirmation.
14:45 – 15:15 Coffee & Networking Break
15:15 – 16:00 TradeTech: Assessing Capabilities, Clearing the Hype
Technology is no longer just a future promise for trade finance–it is increasingly being deployed to solve real operational problems. This panel clears away the hype and examines where TradeTech stands today, what capabilities banks are actually implementing, and which challenges current systems can meaningfully address–from document handling and workflow automation to compliance and risk management.
16:00 – 16:50 ICC Developments: Where Practice Meets the Rules
The Opinions:
- TA958: Freight Prepaid B/L Requirement
- TA957: Pre-Printed B/L Terms
- TA956: Internal Compliance Risks
- TA951: Electronic Authentication
- TA950: Amendments
The Briefings:
- No. 17 – Surrendered Bills of Lading (Jan 2026)
- No. 14 – Procedure for Payment (Aug 2025)
- No. 13 – Confirmation (Aug 2025)
