Size matters - but innovation, strong marketing and a willingness to take on risk are the key traits that this year's winners of the TXF Perfect 10 Commodity Finance Deals of the Year all share.

ESG-linked debt in the commodity sector has another convert – Mercon. And ESG transparency is arguably a new first mover advantage in commodity trading. But do ESG-linked deals have the transparency and auditing processes to offset public and buyer suspicion caused by centuries of commodity trading opaqueness?

The $700 million cash-for-metal deal, signed between Duferco and JSW Steel, is the largest trade finance facility ever arranged for an Indian steel company. But will the first deal of this size to close in the steel industry since the financial crisis serve as a financing template for future deals?

What do companies do when they get asked by their customers to invoice them via their portal? Sounds good, sounds like digitisation is coming on apace, and e-invoicing has been a boon for digitisation. But it’s no fun when you have many thousands of customers, and they all want something different. What are the answers?

US state and federal governments are starting to get serious about encouraging digital infrastructure development. But investors familiar with European fibre-to-the-home face a very different US market structure and risk-reward balance.