IFC and WTO call for trade finance expansion in Mekong region

Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and International Finance Corporation Managing Director Makhtar Diop launched at the WTO on 13 December a co-publication titled “Trade Finance in the Mekong Region” to underline how an expansion in trade finance could further increase the region’s participation in world trade. Presenting survey results from banks in the Mekong-3 countries — Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Viet Nam — the publication reveals the challenges faced by businesses in accessing credit and proposes strategies for improving local producers’ access to finance and integration into global supply chains.