Post-Crisis: Well-Versed Export Credit & Trade Finance Professionals Are Keystone to Enhancing Company's A/R Performance

FCIB International Credit Executives Conference Known for Providing Vital Export Credit Knowledge –

 COLUMBIA, MD – Businesses are firmly taking action this Spring looking for growth strategies and new opportunities. FCIB’s Annual International Credit Executives (ICE) Conference held April 18th-20st at The Drake Hotel in Chicago has become the most prominent solution for companies expanding to new markets and needing to enhance A/R performance, increase liquidity, reduce costs and successfully manage B2B credit.

International credit and trade finance professionals will get together for two days and engage in a professional debate, exchanging experiences and expertise as well as gathering intelligence on how to effectively handle existing trade challenges and pursue the fast-track to recovery. The keynote, The Global Financial Crisis and Its Impact on the World Economy, by FCIB Europe’s Economic Advisor, Freddy Van den Spiegel, Chief Economist at BNP Paribas Fortis (Belgium) will kick-off this highly-anticipated conference and set the stage for additional intellectual discussions.

As the recent credit squeeze and volatility of financial markets have underscored the need for efficient working capital and sound risk management policies, a session on Bringing Efficiencies to International Receivables Management also serves to further enlighten professionals on how major corporates are achieving these objectives through the advantages provided by the SWIFT platform and global financial infrastructure.

Moreover, the ICE program line-up will provide international credit and trade finance professionals with best practices and innovative solutions from the industry’s experts, focusing on hot-button topics such as: Establishing Credit Limits with an Internally Developed Credit Scoring Model-Application, Managing Global Credit Operations for Improved Performance, and A “Behind the Scenes Look” at Credit Insurance which will aptly forecast what to expect in 2010 in terms of rates, risk appetite and new products that are available to exporters.

Concluding with an in-depth review of world markets and a dynamic Q&A session to answer export credit and country specific questions, the "ICE conferences continue to be a great place to exchange experiences and discuss market trends," affirms Isabela Teixeira-Mendes, CICP, VP Trade Finance at BMO Capital Markets, who has already registered to attend again this year.

Best known for providing advice and intelligence to corporate members in more than 55 countries, "FCIB is the most relevant and valuable organization for the global credit profession," concurs FCIB member Tom Croke, Director of Global Credit for Ingersoll Rand Corp., also a regular ICE attendee.

Organized by FCIB and sponsored by leading businesses in the international credit arena, including Atradius, Coface, Euler Hermes ACI, FCIA, HSBC, International Risk Consultants/ICBA, OnGuard and RBS, the FCIB ICE Conference guarantees a wealth of information on a wide range of topics, helping companies improve processes, protect A/R, mitigate risks and maximize cash flow even during economic turbulence.

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About FCIB

Established in 1919, FCIB is known as the premier association of export credit and trade finance professionals worldwide. Through its unique network of experts and suite of services, FCIB is a trusted source for members providing business credit insight, advice and intelligence to help companies do business internationally. FCIB’s parent, NACM (National Association of Credit Management) is a non-profit organization representing nearly 20,000 businesses in the U.S. Established in 1896, NACM is ‘the voice of business credit’ in America and one of the oldest and largest credit organizations in the world.