The EBRD is pleased to announce the launch of online training in trade finance for our member issuing banks in our 29 countries of operations from Central Europe to Central Asia. This is an important expansion of our educational activities in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) trade rules that govern traditional trade products. This training is provided by ICC’s technology partner Coastline Solutions.

‘We see that traditional trade products like letters of credit, guarantees, standbys and collections are key to the operation of trade in a post-crisis market“, said Kamola Makhmudova, the Trade Finance Programme (TFP) banker responsible for the project. ”Providing training in ICC trade rules helps us to facilitate intra-regional and international trade in our countries of operations.“ said Rudolf Putz, Head of the EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme.

The e-Learning programme on Trade Finance offers courses that provide two comprehensive modules for traditional trade products and two modules in advanced trade finance subjects. The training aims to ensure that bank staff has the requisite skills to issue, process and honour traditional trade products in line with the provisions of the ICC trade rules.

”Promotion of the correct application of ICC trade rules is a core objective of the ICC Banking Commission, so we are very happy that the EBRD have chosen this training for their member banks“, said Thierry Senechal, Secretary of the ICC Banking Commission.
The content of each course is written by the world’s leading experts in trade finance, including: Gary Collyer, Technical Adviser to the ICC Banking Commission, Dr. Georges Affaki, Vice-Chair of the ICC Banking Commission, Professor James Byrne, Director of the Institute of International Banking Law and Practice and Vincent O’ Brien, ICC representative to the WTO.

”The online trade training courses will allow the EBRD greater flexibility and offer a more comprehensive approach to meeting member banks trade training requirements. It will also help to ensure consistency of understanding of trade products and ICC rules across member banks“, according to Leo Cullen, Head of Trade Products at Coastline Solutions.