World Trade Symposium 2017
Transforming trade: Driving financial inclusion through globalisation and digitisation
The fundamentals of global trade are being challenged as never before. Trade blocks are under pressure, and growth is lagging. Financial market constraints are making it difficult for all but the largest players to trade freely. Consumers and producers in every continent are wondering if globalization is really garnering prosperity and financial inclusion. The trade finance funding gap for SMEs in the global economy is now estimated at $1.6 trillion. Millions of small businesses and micro-enterprises are turning to the growing number of alternative service providers to gain access to finance and investment. New finance models and the easy flow of information should boost trade and promote financial inclusion, but the world lacks the defined standards to allow these platforms to be fully exploited. The World Trade Symposium aims to continue to investigate the issues and opportunities for global trade and explore the potential to transform trade with digital at its core - and with a vision of improving people's lives. The 2017 agenda will cover the following digital and innovative trade trends, with an eye to the regulatory, economic and technological elements in each:- Intelligent trade: Leveraging information and insight to facilitate the management and distribution of risk in the global economy;
- Sustainable trade: Promoting ethical sourcing, protecting the environment and extending financial inclusion in a circular economy; and
- Integrated trade: A circular economy powered by the industrial internet and smart supply chains.