The worldwide financial downturn has caused a dramatic reduction in the availability of the financing that companies rely on to trade, exacerbating an already dire global economic situation. The shortage of trade financing has hit developing nations particularly hard as many major international banks focus on rebuilding their capital and reducing risk.

"Access to trade finance in times of crisis is vital to cushioning the shock of the global downturn on international trade," says Philip Erquiaga, Director General of Private Sector Operations Department (PSOD) at ADB. "If the world is to emerge from the current economic malaise, it will require a focus on international trade which can help fuel virtually the only growth in evidence, which is in developing countries."

ADB has also increased the maximum maturity permitted under the programme to three years from two years to support developing member countries’ (DMC) efforts to boost their trade competitiveness. The greatest gap in private sector financing lies in the longer tenor.

Steven Beck, the PSOD Investment Specialist managing the TFFP, notes that the programme provides significant leverage: "One dollar of TFFP exposure can attract a similar amount of private sector financing. This, plus the fact that the portfolio can roll over twice a year, means that the US$1 billion programme can equal as much as US$3 billion in support for trade every year."

The TFFP - which started operations in 2004 as a US$150 million programme - provides finance and guarantees through, and in conjunction with, international and DMC banks to support trade transactions in developing nations. Trade can be a key tool for boosting economic growth and reducing poverty by creating jobs and attracting private capital.

By the end of 2008, the programme had supported nearly 1,200 international trade transactions worth over US$578 million and has been used in nine countries in Asia, without incurring any losses or problem loans. The programme’s volume of transactions soared by 570% in 2008 versus 2007 after a 78% increase in 2007.

ADB expects the programme to be used more widely in countries where it is already active and to be used in at least three more countries by the end of 2009. Currently, 72 international banks and 60 DMC banks are participating in the programme. ADB expects the number of participating DMC banks to rise to 100 by the end of 2009.