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MILSTE is organizing an important breakfast dialogue among decision makers and experts in trade finance, to discuss how the RMB is impacting Hong Kong’s trade finance industry, and how technology and emerging trends in commodity finance are shaping it.

The trade finance industry in Hong Kong has been seeing rapid changes in the last few years as the RMB becomes more important in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Hong Kong trade finance executives and commodity finance managers, and even supply chain bankers, are now taking the RMB seriously and integrating it into all their operations.

Southeast Asia has become an important commodity industry for Hong Kong businesses as it continues to import important commodities from the region and export technologies there. And technology in trade finance departments in Hong Kong banks are advancing at unprecedented speeds in cloud computing and via SWIFT systems to allow them to continue to monitor their clients actions and supply them with unique services in trade finance.

The breakfast dialogue will focus broadly on the following challenges and updates facing Hong Kong’s commodity financing industry:

1. Where are the opportunities emerging for Hong Kong banks in Asia?  Is the business coming from emerging Southeast Asian countries or right next door, China?
2. How is the rapid emergence of the RMB impacting structured trade and commodity finance in Hong Kong?
3. Hong Kong banks are global and tapping into various Chinese markets and Southeast Asian ones. Which technologies should they be investing in, and where is the future of technology and security in structured trade and commodity finance in Hong Kong?

Who will attend?
More than 15 key executives from around 10-15 leading banks in Hong Kong are handpicked to attend, with about 10-20 of their supporting managers participating as observers. It will be a small but high-level dialogue representing structured trade, commodity financing, technology, transactional banking and supply chain finance. 

Agenda:
MILSTE’s Hong Kong Trade Finance Dialogue is designed in a roundtable format, featuring handpicked decision makers discussing important topics. Participating companies will sit at the roundtable and contribute to the dialogue and will have the opportunity to give a presentation

The Hong Kong Trade Finance Dialogue
8:30-9:00am	Registration & Breakfast
9:00-10:00am	Welcome Presentation: The Affects of Rising Commodity Prices on Hong Kong’s Banking Industry, by Dr. Alicia Garcia Herrero, Chief Economist of Emerging Markets, BBVA Presentation two: Financing in the People’s Republic of China & The Impact of the Rmb on Hong Kong’s Banking Industry, Fung King Tak, Partner, Eversheds Presentation three: Updates on Trade Finance Trends in Hong Kong; Challenges & Opportunities, Baron Laudermilk, Managing Director, MILSTE The Future of Trade Finance in Hong Kong Key Discussion Points: Are the prospects for commodity finance deals improving for 2014 and 2015? Are global banks continuing to finance deals in China? What are the prospects in Southeast Asia for Hong Kong banks? Thailand, Indonesia: Have recent events scared off banks and investors? Asia’s Trade Triangle: The Future of trade between Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Moderator: Baron Laudermilk, Managing Director, MILSTE Co-Moderator: Fung King Tak, Partner, Eversheds, Former VP and Head of Trade Finance, Bank of America
10:00-11:00am	Impact of the RMB on Trade Finance in Hong Kong Key Discussion Points: The displacement of the dollar: Pricing in RMB. What types of financing are most accessed in financing commodities to Russia, and how is this different than in China? The long-term refinancing and lending solutions for the RMB: Where are we now? What advantages do Hong Kong bank’s offer in terms of pricing and tenors compared to their international counterparts?
11:00-12:00pm	Technology: Trade Finance Modernization in Hong Kong Key Discussion Points: Why trade finance is moving to the cloud? Scaling platforms to address both traditional and future products and services. Deploying digitization in trade finance appropriately.
12:00-12:05pm	Closing remarks & networking