ICC Bangladesh holds workshop on global banking, trade finance risk management

The workshop was held on 20 February and was sponsored by ODDO BHF SE Bank, Frankfurt, Germany. Photo: Courtesy

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Bangladesh, in collaboration with ICC Headquarters in Paris, organised a day-long workshop on "Global Banking Commission Outlook, DSI, Compliance, and Trade Finance Risk Management" for bankers in Bangladesh. 

The workshop was held on 20 February and was sponsored by ODDO BHF SE Bank, Frankfurt, Germany, according to a press release issued today.

The workshop featured expert presentations from distinguished speakers, including Tomasch Kubiak, policy manager of ICC Global Banking Commission; Thomas Kuerten, international banking sales/senior regional manager at ODDO BHF SE Bank; Sabio Jin, senior partner of Jincheng Tongda & Neal Law Firm, Beijing; Shah Md Ahsan Habib, professor of Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM); and Mostafa Abid Khan, component manager for the Support for Sustainable Graduation Project (SSGP), Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance. 

In his opening remarks, ICC Bangladesh Secretary General Ataur Rahman stressed the increasing involvement of Bangladesh's economy in international trade transactions. "Improved and efficient cross-border trade will have notable implications for the country's LDC graduation process," Rahman said. 

He also highlighted the challenges posed by the evolving regulatory environment and the growing risks for trade finance banks. 

"Compliance and risk management must remain at the heart of our trade finance operations. As global regulatory frameworks become more stringent, our banks and financial institutions must strengthen their due diligence processes, adopt robust risk management frameworks, and enhance transparency to mitigate financial crimes and ensure long-term sustainability," Rahman added. 

The objective of the workshop was to discuss the global financial landscape, macroeconomics, geopolitics, compliance, and digitalisation trends linked to the MLETR (Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records), a key initiative for digitalising international trade.

A total of 96 participants from 26 banks, including Bangladesh Bank, BIBM, KAFCO, and some clients of Mutual Trust Bank, attended the workshop.