March 2012

The Saudi British Bank (SABB) has organized professional forums on international trade in Riyadh and Dammam, exclusively held to enhance SABB clients’ knowledge on contemporary trends, issues and various aspects of international trade, in particular documentation risks relating to their businesses.

The customer-oriented forums are in line with the Bank’s strategy of reiterating its continued thought leadership in trade finance in the Kingdom. The purpose of the events was to shed the light on technical issues related to international trade dealt by client representatives and decision-makers who are interacting with the Bank’s Trade and Supply Chains department on a daily basis on documentary collections, credits and finance.

Gary Collyer, a globally recognised trade expert and an associate of the London-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), addressed large gatherings of SABB clients on international trade practices and the latest Uniform Customs and Practice for documentary credits. Collyer provided comprehensive insight and practical guidelines to clients’ representatives who attended the forums.

Gary Collyer, a globally recognised trade expert and an associate of the London-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), addressed large gatherings of SABB clients on international trade practices and the latest Uniform Customs and Practice for documentary credits. Collyer provided comprehensive insight and practical guidelines to clients’ representatives who attended the forums.

Since 1996, Collyer has been the Technical Adviser to the ICC, where he has been responsible for providing numerous opinions related to the application and interpretation of ICC rules. He has been chair of the ICC Working Group for the development of the ISP98, the strategy for the revision of UCP500 and a member for the development and revision of URR525, URC522 and e-UCP, and more recently chair of the ICC Working Group, for drafting UCP600 and the updating of other relating rules and practices.

Over the years, SABB has come to be recognized as Saudi Arabia's leading trade and commercial bank, offering businesses a comprehensive suite of conventional and Shariah-compliant trade products with the ability to structure and implement bespoke solutions to meet complex requirements of local and multinational customers.

The Bank aims to continuously educate and inform Saudi customers about emerging trends in international trade through unique initiatives like the “Trade Confidence Index”, sponsorship of the “Guide to Cash, Treasury and Supply Chain Management in the Middle East” and the SABB Trade Academy which is aimed at educating customers on the concepts, procedures and rules related to international trade and ways to mitigate the associated risk.

In 2011, the Bank won a number of major awards from world renowned magazines and international organizations for being the Best Trade Finance Provider; Best Sub-Custodian Bank; Best Islamic Project Finance Provider, and the Best Cash Management Bank.