Thomson Reuters FXExchange 2015 brings together leading FX industry experts on topics affecting all participants in the world’s most liquid asset class.

In the first of a series of articles on innovation in cash management, Philippe Marcotte de Quivières, deputy head of payments and cash management division, and Emmanuelle Fischer, head of marketing and products cash management at Société Générale outline some of the initiatives the bank has introduced to support treasury clients.

Without a substantial infusion of capital, even experienced African national oil companies (NOCs) will remain largely focused on overseeing licensing for exploration and production (E&P), and managing their domestic oil sectors. The more ambitious business of deep-water drilling, complex technical operations and cross-border expansion will remain in the hands of foreign players.

If you receive letters of credit (LCs) worth hundreds of millions of dollars, you’ll want a robust trade finance system. Facing a growing call from its smaller counterparties for trade finance arrangements, international energy company Statoil has sought greater control over its transactions.

The correction in the global commodity cycle shouldn’t derail investors’ search for new exploration frontiers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), given the region’s high-quality mining and metal assets, and still-growing steel demand in China. In any case, efforts to boost local value-added processing should remain on track.

At the start of 2000, a reputable economic magazine referred to Africa as the ‘hopeless’ continent – a comment that may not have seemed controversial at the time. However, more than a decade later, the picture couldn’t be more different. ‘Africa Rising’ was the new message of the day.

Supply chain finance (SCF) is seeing a huge amount of interest from organisations of all sizes – yet there’s a lack of consensus even over exactly what it is. We show exactly what it can do, how it connects with trade finance, and how it benefits working capital management for exporters and importers, and ultimately the importance of taking a holistic view when integrating SCF into the wider context of your processes.

The Egypt Economic Development Conference (EEDC), which ended on March 15 in Sharm El-Sheikh, provided a launch pad for the Egyptian economy. Here’s what you need to know.

Large international investors continue to closely monitor Russian issuers and are ready to invest if their requirements are met, as demonstrated by two recent deals successfully brought to the market.

The adoption of financial technology and faster, more agile e-systems in banking has had profound implications in corporate finance. It is becoming increasingly rare to find a corporate financial process that has not been digitized.

The sheer scale of energy demand in Africa rather than the environmental impact of fossil fuels should be the crucial driver of energy policies on the continent.

EU policymakers need to speak directly to the Greek people – and those of Spain, Portugal and Ireland – and convince them that they have a vision for the eurozone that includes them as equals, not serfs.

Companies do not always appreciate the bigger picture when it comes to the risks involved in international deals – or the trade finance products that can be used to mitigate these risk exposures.

A comprehensive guide to how the oil price collapse and the shale revolution will transform the outlook for sub-Saharan oil majors and financiers, from exploration, production and investment to industry consolidation.

Despite the low oil price, investors dismiss opportunities in the non-oil sector at their peril, thanks to fiscal support, demographics and diversification.

Beijing ETOWN is a greenhouse for innovative domestic Chinese companies to flourish and reach out to a global marketplace – even though sometimes their products are much more visible than their names.

The remarkable rise and rise of Beijing ETOWN over the past two decades mirrors China’s transformation from the world’s workshop to a globally competitive hub for innovation, technology and high-end industry.

Beijing ETOWN is an ideal home from home for an impressive A-list of global brand-name companies that use the hi-tech zone as a base for their China and Asia operations. Executives at GE Healthcare explain why being there gives them a competitive advantage.