Often priced at well below accepted market rates, Chinese official finance is a major hurdle to fair competition in the global export market. A growing number of governments are attempting to compete by circumventing OECD rules and blurring trade with aid. But adding more unfair trade practices risks the global official finance system self-combusting and ending any real chance of a lasting and fair resolution to the problem.

Bernie de Haldevang, head of specialty at Canopius, talks to TXF about the digitisation of trade finance insurance and how the market is still wedded to paper. The market is becoming increasing dependent on private insurance to deal with risk weighted asset relief among the banks as geopolitical signs point to a riskier world.

The 2019 expiration of the Investment Tax Credit is unlikely to put the dampers on a US offshore wind sector that looks set to take off.

TXF last week held its annual Cape Town Conference on southern African Commodities, Export & Project Financing. Here, Jonathan Bell highlights some of the key takeaways from the event and some further recent important major project developments.

TXF and Coriolis Technologies’ country risk index digs deep into the strategic trends in militarisation of trade. In this section Rebecca Harding, CEO of Coriolis Technologies sees weaponization of trade in Brexit rhetoric, European populism and Turkish troubles. This is the fifth in the series of seven insights.