ICC Global Banking Commission Meeting | 09-11 November 2026

Day 1 –

Member’s Working Groups, Technical opinions & Rule Developments
Location: JP Morgan, 25 Bank Street, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5JP (Members-only)
Hybrid

Morning Working Groups Sessions – Restricted to group members

Registration

Working Group A – Technical Advisors (TA) briefing group

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Working Group B – Financial Crimes & Risks

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Working Group C – Guarantees

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Working Group D – Export Finance

Working Group E – Legal Committee

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Working Group F – Commercialisation – KTDDE 

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Working Group G – Regulatory Advocacy

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Working Group H – Global Supply Chain Finance Forum (GSCFF)

Afternoon registration, lunch break & networking

ICC National Committees Forum

Coffee & networking break 

Technical opinions & rule developments 

Hybrid

This session will provide the latest insights into the development of trade finance rules, promote international best practice and address the latest disputes.

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Day 2

Plenary
Location: Mansion House, Walbrook, London EC4N 8BH
In-person only

Registration & networking breakfast

Opening remarks: Global trade finance priorities

Speaker: Florian Witt, Chair, ICC Banking Commission and Managing Director Divisional Head, International Banking and Corporate Banking; Member of the Group Business Executive Committee, ODDO BHF

Keynote: Going for growth – creating agile economies

Speaker: TBA

The Global Trade Finance Gap & Regulatory Treatment of Trade Finance

Closing the global trade finance gap requires coordinated action across public institutions, private finance, development actors, and policymakers. This strategic session will explore how cooperation across these stakeholders can be strengthened to deliver systemic impact, in the context of a rapidly evolving regulatory environment with implications for competitiveness, capital allocation, and access to finance. 

The discussion will address how MDBs, international organisations, and the private sector can better align mandates, tools, and capital, alongside the role of policy reform, risk sharing instruments, and capacity building in expanding access to trade finance. It will also bring regional perspectives on constraints and solutions, with insights from emerging and developing markets, and examine how ICC, as the representative of the private sector, can act as a neutral convenor and connector, linking global policy dialogue with market practice. 

Drawing on empirical evidence, including insights from the ICC Global Trade Intelligence Report and cooperation efforts, the session will highlight how more risk-sensitive and proportionate regulation can be supported by robust data, including a showcase of the 2026 report. 

The session aims to identify concrete areas for collaboration and advance a coordinated response to the trade finance gap. 

Moderator: Florian Witt, Chair, ICC Banking Commission and Managing Director Divisional Head, International Banking and Corporate Banking; Member of the Group Business Executive Committee, ODDO BHF

Panellists:
Makiko Toyoda, Global Head, Global Trade Finance Programme & Global Supply Chain Finance Programme, International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Shona Tatchell, Director, Trade Facilitation Programme, Financial Institutions, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Platinum sponsor keynote
Speaker: Vivek Ramachandran, Head of Global Trade Solutions, HSBC

Coffee & networking break

Financing Trade Resilience: Navigating Geopolitics and Supply Chain Risk

In an increasingly fragmented and uncertain global environment, trade resilience has become a core strategic and financial priority for banks, corporates, and policymakers. Geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, and shifting trade patterns are reshaping how trade is structured, priced, and financed. 

This session will examine how leading corporates are redefining supply chain resilience, and what this means for the demand and structuring of trade finance. It will also explore how banks and capital markets are adapting their products and capital allocation to support evolving supply chain configurations. 

Particular attention will be given to the implications of geopolitical chokepoints, including the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and around Chinese Taipei, and how these risks are being assessed, mitigated, and priced within trade finance frameworks. 

The discussion will consider what role governments should play, and where they should step back. 

Bringing together perspectives from banking, academia, and industry, the session will assess whether resilience can become a source of competitive advantage.  

Moderator: TBA

Panellists:

Sam Lowe, Partner, Trade and Market Access, Flint Global; Associate Fellow, Chatham House

Jaya Vohra, Managing Director, Global Head of Trade & Working Capital & Transaction Banking Account Management, Barclays

TBA – BBVA

TBA – International Federation of Freight Forwarders Association (FIATA)

Fireside Chat

This session will be an opportunity to discuss board room priorities.

Lunch & networking break

Keynote: Dame Susan Langley DBE, Lady Mayor of the City of London

A New Operating System for Global Trade

As trade finance continues its digital transformation, new technologies such as stablecoins and tokenised settlement are beginning to reshape how trade is financed and settled. At the same time, the adoption of ICC electronic rules and digital standards is critical to ensuring interoperability, legal certainty, and scalability across markets. 

This session will explore whether these emerging solutions address genuine commercial needs, and which trade finance products are most likely to be transformed first. It will examine the potential impact of tokenisation on liquidity, collateral, and working capital management, as well as its role in expanding access to trade finance, particularly in emerging markets. 

The discussion will also assess progress in the adoption of ICC frameworks, including eUCP, URDTT, and API standards. Drawing on lessons from early movers, the session will highlight practical adoption barriers and the technical, legal, operational, and regulatory requirements needed to move from pilot projects to scalable solutions, while clarifying the evolving role of banks in a tokenised trade ecosystem. 

Moderator: Merlin Dowse, Co-Chair of the ICC Digital Trade Finance Standards & Adoption Working Group; Director: Senior Product Manager Trade & SCF, CGI

Coffee & networking break

Legal Committee presentation of the Status of Ladings global survey 

A snapshot of the extent of ICC Global Banking Commission reach and guidance.   

The Legal Committee will present a thorough analysis of the different status of bills of lading by jurisdiction.  

Presentation: 

• Georges Affaki, Professor, Partner, AFFAKI, Chair ICC Legal Committee 

• Christian Bergeron, Executive Director & Assistant General Counsel, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Member of ICC Legal Committee 

ICC Banking Commission Strategic Debate & Resolution Session – Shaping the Future of Trade Finance: From Discussion to Action 

A dedicated high-level session bringing Banking Commission members and ICC National Committees together to debate the most pressing challenges facing global trade finance and agree on concrete commitments to strengthen the Commission’s three-year strategy adopted in Dubai (2025). 

Each debate will culminate in a resolution vote, establishing clear industry objectives and collective actions for the period ahead. 

Theme 1: Achieving Proper Regulatory Recognition for Trade Finance 

Strategic Question – Despite its proven low-risk profile and critical role in supporting global trade, trade finance remains inadequately recognised in many prudential and regulatory frameworks. How can the industry collectively strengthen the evidence base and advocacy efforts required to secure more proportionate regulation? 

Theme 2: Digital Trade at Scale – Moving Beyond Pilots 

Strategic Question – Legislation, standards and technologies increasingly exist to support digital trade, yet adoption remains fragmented. What collective actions are required to make digital trade documentation the industry norm rather than the exception? 

Theme 3: Artificial Intelligence, Stablecoins and Emerging Technologies 

Strategic Question – Artificial intelligence, tokenisation and digital money have the potential to reshape trade finance. Should ICC take a leadership role in developing standards, guidance and market practices in these areas, and if so, where should efforts be prioritised? 

Theme 4: Scaling Sustainable Trade Finance 

Strategic Question – Momentum around sustainable trade finance continues to grow, but adoption remains uneven across jurisdictions and institutions. How can the industry accelerate alignment around common principles and market practices? 

Keynote: Key takeaways

This session will summarise the day and share insights from G20, United Nations and other multilateral fora before going into Day Two on the solutions, what is happening and what the future looks like.

Speaker: TBA

Handover – ICC Banking Commission, March 2027

Speaker: Vincent O’Brien, Director, ICC UAE

Reception drinks & networking

• Speaker: Lord Karan Bilimoria, Opening Remarks

Day 3 – 

From Infrastructure to Impact: Scaling Digital Trade Finance in Emerging Markets 
Location: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), 5 Bank St, Canary Wharf Estate, London E14 4BG
In-person only

Registration & Networking Breakfast

Welcome

Opening the day by setting out the ambition to move from identifying the barriers to trade finance towards practical solutions that can be implemented and scaled across emerging and frontier markets.

Parvaiz Dalal, Chair, ICC United Kingdom Trade Finance Committee

Keynote: Trade Finance in a Fragmenting World: Building Resilient Markets and Mobilising Private Capital 

TBA – EBRD

Setting the scene for the day, this keynote will explore how changing trade patterns, new trade corridors and evolving payment and financial systems are reshaping the trade finance landscape. 

From Ambition to Infrastructure: Building the Digital Trade Finance Ecosystem 

Digital trade is no longer primarily a question of technology. The challenge is creating the infrastructure, standards, legal frameworks and market conditions that allow digital trade finance solutions to work across institutions and borders and at scale. 

This session will provide a practical reality check on the building blocks needed to make digital trade finance business-as-usual, including: 

• Payments and financial infrastructure: how SWIFT, ISO 20022 and related standards can improve efficiency and connectivity without imposing disproportionate costs on smaller banks. 

• Trusted trade data: how e-invoicing, invoice registries and other trusted data sources can reduce fraud and duplicate financing and unlock working-capital finance. 

• Digital guarantees: what is needed to move from individual implementations towards wider adoption and interoperability. 

• Electronic bills of lading: what will make digital trade documents business-as-usual for banks and their clients. 

• Rules, standards and legal frameworks: how ICC rules, model laws, electronic transferable records and other frameworks can support cross-border digital trade. 

Remembrance Day: Two-Minute Silence 

Fireside: Making Sustainable Trade Finance Work in Emerging Markets

How can banks translate sustainable trade finance principles into practical products and financing decisions? 

This fireside chat will explore how sustainability objectives can be embedded in underwriting, product design, client engagement and reporting, while considering the practical challenges faced by banks and businesses in emerging markets. 

The discussion will also consider the role of technical assistance, capacity building and development finance in helping financial institutions implement sustainable trade finance approaches and demonstrate measurable market impact. 

Coffee & networking break

The Practitioner Perspective: Digital Trade in Action 

Digital trade is already delivering results in different markets and use cases. This session will move from infrastructure and theory to practical experience. 

Practitioners will showcase developments including digital trade corridors, SME propositions, harmonised data standards, digital identities and trust frameworks, highlighting: 

• What has worked? 

• What has not worked? 

• What barriers were encountered? 

• What lessons can be replicated? 

• What is needed to move successful pilots towards wider market adoption? 

Demonstration: Navigating Digital Trade Readiness

A practical demonstration of the ICC Digital Trade Navigator, showing how businesses, banks and policymakers can identify digital trade requirements, assess readiness and navigate relevant standards, rules and legal frameworks. 

The demonstration will illustrate how practical tools can help translate the increasingly complex digital trade landscape into actionable steps for market participants. 

Lunch & networking break

Building Capacity to Scale Digital Trade Finance 

Moving from successful pilots to widespread adoption requires more than technology. It requires capable institutions, skilled people, enabling regulation, trusted infrastructure and effective partnerships. 

This session will examine the capacity and market conditions needed by banks, businesses and public authorities to adopt and scale digital trade finance. The discussion will identify where MDBs, governments, development partners and the private sector can add value through technical assistance, capacity building, investment, risk-sharing, market development and convening power. 

The Big Debate: What Will Actually Unlock the Next Era of Trade Finance? 

Closing: Next Steps and Action 

Tomasch Kubiak, Policy Manager, ICC Banking Commission 

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