Author: Digital Trade Outlook

Royal Bank of Canada has formally established Global Transaction Banking (GTB) as a single, unified business, a move that sharpens the bank’s ambitions to serve clients seamlessly across borders. Announced in Toronto on August 25, 2026, the reorganization pulls together RBC’s transaction banking capabilities from Commercial Banking, in both Canada and the U.S., and Capital Markets, placing them under one leadership team and one strategy. The goal is to connect relationship coverage, product expertise, technology and execution more tightly than before. Sean Amato-Gauci, Group Head of Commercial Banking, and Derek Neldner, CEO and Group Head of RBC Capital Markets, will…

DBS has rolled out an agentic AI solution designed to change how relationship managers and credit risk managers handle complex credit assessments for large and mid-sized corporate clients. Specialised agents cover more than 70 tasks, turning raw data into a review-ready first draft of a credit memo. That means faster memo generation, sharper risk analysis, and more time for relationship managers to focus on strategic client work. The rollout follows a pilot with 150 participants and now covers around 1,500 employees globally. Credit assessments sit at the core of due diligence, helping banks gauge a company’s financial health, business prospects…

Bank of China (Hong Kong) (“BOCHK”) and Ant International have entered a strategic partnership to deepen cross-border financial connectivity. Combining BOCHK’s banking strength with Ant International’s fintech and AI capabilities, the two firms plan to explore AI-driven financial services, real-time treasury management and liquidity solutions for global enterprises, while expanding support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Sun Yu, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of BOCHK, said the bank’s expertise spans cross-border payments, treasury management and fintech, adding that the partnership would advance fintech innovation in Hong Kong and strengthen cross-border cooperation across Southeast Asia. He pointed to BOCHK’s experience…

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is providing a trade finance limit of up to $75 million (€65 million) to Al Mansour Bank for Investment (MBI), one of Iraq’s leading private-sector banks. Under the EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme, the facility offers guarantees and cash advances covering political and commercial payment risks on cross-border transactions. That backing helps MBI support import and export deals for Iraqi businesses. The impact extends past individual transactions. MBI’s correspondent banking network stands to grow, and trade finance should become more accessible across a country where international banking services remain limited. Iraqi importers and exporters…

Ripple has partnered with Jeonbuk Bank, and the deal makes Jeonbuk the first regional bank in Korea to adopt Ripple Payments for cross-border remittances. It’s a shift for a segment that has relied on transfers taking days to clear. Bank transfers typically move through several intermediary banks on the SWIFT network, which is what makes them slow. Ripple Payments cuts that out. Settlement now happens in seconds to minutes, any time of day. For Jeonbuk Bank’s business customers, including import-export firms, IT startups, and online content creators, that means remittances that are faster, more transparent, and cheaper to send. Jeonbuk…

Stanbic Bank Tanzania has launched a direct renminbi settlement service in Dar es Salaam, letting businesses trading with China pay and receive in Chinese currency. The move should cut transaction costs and ease bilateral trade. Tanzanian Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade Dennis Londo said the launch opens the door for local businesses to compete more effectively in international markets. Exports to China rose from 442.96 million U.S. dollars in 2024 to 512.6 million dollars in 2025, he noted, while imports climbed from 4.78 billion to 5.64 billion dollars. Stanbic Bank Tanzania: What It Means Those numbers show China’s weight…

The People’s Bank of China has appointed Deutsche Bank as a Renminbi clearing bank for Europe, operating from Frankfurt. It is the first foreign bank to receive the designation. Deutsche Bank will handle end-to-end processing, clearing and settlement of cross-border RMB transactions for European financial institutions and businesses, acting as a local bridge to China’s payment systems. The role strengthens RMB clearing infrastructure across Europe and widens access to offshore RMB liquidity for banks and corporates. The designation lets the bank offer direct RMB solutions across payments, liquidity management, trade finance and investment, with faster transactions and lower counterparty risk…

Botim has launched Mastercard One Credential in the UAE, the first rollout of the product anywhere across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. One card, several funding sources, one interface. Eligible Botim cardholders can move between prepaid balances and credit, spend in multiple currencies, and split any purchase into installments without carrying a second card. The demand is measurable. Mastercard’s global consumer research found 83% of UAE consumers surveyed would use card installments through One Credential, and pointed to strong appetite for pulling payment options into a single capability. One Credential: What It Means For first-time credit users, embedding…

PaymentWorks, the vendor identity platform for secure B2B payments, has introduced Payee Profile, a standardized, reusable credential that helps businesses manage the tax, banking and compliance information required to get paid. Vendor onboarding at many organizations still relies on customer-specific forms, fragmented workflows and repeated verification of the same sensitive data. Suppliers face a high-friction process, while finance, procurement and payments teams are left with an ongoing governance challenge. Payee Profile tackles that friction by giving payees a portable, authenticated profile they can securely reuse across business relationships. For payers, it establishes a trusted vendor record before sensitive identity, tax…

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) plans to invest up to 750 million euros ($866 million) in an unfunded risk-sharing facility with Deutsche Bank to support trade finance transactions involving emerging market banks, according to a project disclosure. Known as GTLP DB Global, the project will cover a portfolio of at least 1 billion euros in trade finance assets between Deutsche Bank and emerging market issuing banks (EMIBs), giving importers and exporters across developing markets greater access to trade finance. According to the IFC, “by sustaining DB’s ability to provide trade finance services despite major macroeconomic challenges, the Project is intended…