Tuesday, 12 September 2017

CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE - Sean Edwards, ITFA Chairman / Head of Legal at SMBC

Dear Members and Friends,

I write this message with a smile on my face after having returned from the ITFA conference in Edinburgh - the event captured all that ITFA represents - great content, substantive and relevant education, effective networking and building on great friendships, all enjoyed in a spectacular social setting. The opening presentation/video summed up all that ITFA encapsulates, highlighting a number of ITFA events and achievements throughout the year. Please allow me to thank the board members who have resigned from the board; Damian Austin and Anurag Chaudhary and give a warm welcome to the new comers; Khilola Turaeva and Duarte Pedreira. 

On behalf of the ITFA Board, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all those who attended our 44th Trade and Forfaiting Conference. Edinburgh proved to be a great conference destination with a record number of delegates attending this year’s conference. Moreover, this conference also attracted a great number sponsorship, demonstrating yet again, the vitality of our association and industry.

Those of you who attended the Conference Gala Dinner at the magnificent Hopetoun House will not have failed to have been moved by the speech Duarte made in memory of our friend and industry giant, Martin Ashurst who died of cancer in 2014. At the request of his widow, we have raised money for the diabetes charity, JDRF. Both of Martin’s sons have Type 1 Diabetes. I am pleased to say that we received around £2,000 in contributions from delegates, which ITFA will match pound for pound to make a total of £4,000, a fitting gift in memory of our much lamented friend. 

Please bear in mind that should you want to refer to the presentations that were delivered during the conference, these can be found in the member area of the ITFA website – click here. However, these are available to ITFA members only.

As an association our focus is on emerging market economies which have been benign and robust over the past 18 months or so. August, however, witnessed a marked and abrupt halt to  inflows. Investors yanked money out of emerging-market funds for the first time in months, a sign of trouble in what has been a durable segment of the global economy for much of the year. Risk aversion crept in as many global investors turned more cautious on risk. The shift in risk appetite came about as threats of nuclear warfare ramped up between the U.S. and North Korea.

More cheerfully, in the September edition of the ITFA Newsletter you will find an article about our annual conference in Edinburgh. ITFA is pleased to announce four new members – Arthur J. Gallagher (UK) Ltd, Chubb, Tokio Marine HCC and GII Capital Advisors Ltd. Our regular feature - Chart of the Month, contributed by Dr. Rebecca Harding of Equant Analytics looks at Trade Wars: Why the US must think before it acts. Finally, we update you on the Alternative ITFA which took place in London on 7th September, the London Fringe to our Edinburgh main event.

We look forward to hearing from you with any feedback you may want to share with us by sending an email to myself, any of the Board Members or to our general email, info@itfa.org.  

Best wishes,

Sean Edwards

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