Global eTrade Services (GeTS) is proud to be recognized as one of the Outstanding Innovators in Trade Finance category for "Global Finance The Innovators 2021" annual selection program.

In its ninth year, this unique program by Global Finance recognises organisations that consistently identify and innovate new ways and tools in finance.  Award categories include Outstanding Innovations in Cash Management, Corporate Finance, Islamic Finance, Payments and Trade Finance.

Importantly, GeTS' CALISTA Finance (part of CALISTA – a global supply chain orchestration platform) won this recognition due to the innovative process design and AI technology that enables trade financing to be more accessible, predictable and easier to fulfil for traders.

CALISTA brings together key trade activities such as logistics, regulatory compliance and trade finance on a digital eco-system that serves the shippers and logistics stakeholders.  Through CALISTA, shippers can book and track their freight, fulfil regulatory requirements, and secure financing for their trades.  CALISTA also supports Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) by helping them to digitalise their sales process and allowing them to collaborate seamlessly and efficiently.

Trade financing is traditionally a complex and timely process with many documents and interactions between the borrowers and financiers.  To maintain economic growth and ensure smooth cross-border trade, businesses need access to adequate funds.  For example, in Southeast Asia, around 39 million[1] small and medium-sized companies contribute 40 %[2] of the region's gross domestic product (GDP), but these SMEs typically do not have access to financial support.  During the COVID-19 crisis, global supply chains were severely disrupted, which further compounded the woes of SMEs.

Plugging the gaps in trade finance between the different trade parties – CALISTA Finance digitalises the entire trade financing application process through the use of optical character recognition (OCR) technology and an Artificial Intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) credit engine. This enables CALISTA finance to offer fast and fuss-free financing with a turnaround time of within 72 hours from application to securing of loans, a process which generally takes approximately 2 weeks for the banks.

In addition, CALISTA Finance has an outstanding performance in risk management and mitigation.  As a result, it offers lenders a viable channel to access the potential borrowers in the global trade segment.

"We are very honoured to receive this recognition from Global Finance," said Chong Kok Keong, CEO of GeTS.

"We will continue to revolutionise the way trade is financed through a one-stop solution that provides financing options where businesses can strengthen their liquidity, get easier access to improve their cash flows and ultimately increase their competitiveness in their trade activities."