Weekly Brief
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Why we built this, what to expect, and why we think trade finance deserves better coverage.
Monday, February 23, 2026
Editor's Pick
Hot Takes
AI Won't Replace Your Trade Ops Team. Here's What It Will Do.
The hype cycle says AI will automate documentary credit processing. The reality is more nuanced — and more useful — than full automation.
|4 min read
Deep Dives
Inside Dubai's Play to Become the Trade Finance Capital
DMCC, DIFC, and a new digital trade corridor to India — Dubai is making aggressive moves to capture trade finance market share from Singapore and London.
|4 min read
The Discrepancy
When 'Clean on Board' Isn't Clean Enough
A shipping line stamps 'clean on board' on a bill of lading. The issuing bank rejects it. Both sides think they are right. Here's what UCP 600 actually says.
|3 min read
The Discrepancy— Our signature column
The $2.3M Word-Order Problem
A European commodity house ships urea to Southeast Asia. The LC requires a 'CERTIFICATE OF QUALITY.' The exporter presents a 'QUALITY CERTIFICATE.' The bank refuses. $2.3 million in cargo sits in port.
Feb 17 | 5 min readRead all Discrepancy pieces →
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Latest
Standard Chartered Quietly Exits LC Processing in Three Markets
The bank is pulling back from low-margin documentary credit processing in Kenya, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The ripple effects will be felt by SMEs who rely on correspondent banking.
|3 min read
Singapore Goes Live with MLETR: What It Actually Means
Singapore became the first major trade hub to adopt the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records. Here's what changes — and what doesn't.
|2 min read
Electronic Bills of Lading: The Reality Check
Every conference says eBLs are the future. Every pilot succeeds. And yet paper still dominates. Here is why adoption is slower than everyone claims.
|5 min read