From Loans to Letters of Credit

The Business Case for Rewiring Working Capital

Overview

Corporate finance structures are under pressure.

As supply chains grow more complex and trade flows become more volatile, traditional lending models are increasingly misaligned with how commercial risk actually manifests.

This strategic dialogue examines how lenders and corporates can rewire finance structures — shifting from static credit exposure to transaction-centric engagement grounded in supply chain intelligence and risk-adjusted returns.

Date: Tuesday, March 10 2026
Time: 1pm WAT, 12 pm GMT, 3pm EAT

What the Session Will Address

Supply Chain Intelligence in Lending

How borrower supply chains are reshaping credit assessment and funding structures.

Commercial Margin & Volume Opportunities

Where value is truly created within trade flows — and how lenders and borrowers align incentives.

Reframing Corporate Finance Structures

The strategic case for transaction-centric Trade Finance over traditional lending models.

Scaling Intra-African Trade

The structural capabilities required to compete effectively across regional corridors.

Practical automation opportunities improving efficiency and risk visibility.

About the Speaker

Srinath Keshavan

Srinath Keshavan has worked in Banking and International Commodity Trade over two decades, based in Hong Kong and Singapore. He is now a Learning Facilitator, sharing his expertise in Trade, Commodities & Supply Chain Finance and related Financial Crime Compliance matters.

Srinath’s clients include financial institutions and trading enterprises across more than 50 countries. He also delivers his services to government agencies and multilateral development finance institutions. He is a longstanding facilitator of Trade Finance learning for Afreximbank.

Srinath tailors learning solutions to fit the needs of a range of constituents making up a Trade Finance organization – Relationship & Business Development Managers, Product Specialists, Risk Approvers, Operations personnel – and ties it to the business strategy of client institutions.

Srinath also has extensive experience in structuring and operating loan arrangements delivering Pre-

Finance and Collateralized Commodities Trade Finance (Inventory-backed Finance, Warehouse Receipts

Finance). He has delivered presentations on these topics in Vietnam, The Philippines, Cambodia,

Mongolia, China, India, Indonesia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Why This Matters

Trade risk is dynamic, not static.
Supply chain visibility is now a lending requirement.
Capital efficiency demands transaction-centric thinking.
Intra-African trade growth requires structural capability.
Institutions that adapt their models will secure stronger margins, deeper client engagement, and more resilient portfolios.