On the 20^th of July, our SCF (Supply Chain Finance) Corporate Event Singapore took place at the remarkable Supply Chain City in collaboration with The Logistics Institute – Asia Pacific, National University of Singapore, and Rutgers Business School. We had excellent speakers presenting corporate cases and the latest research at our event sponsored by SMBC and the YCH Group. 

Our co-host Dr. Robert De Souza (The Logistics Institute – Asia Pacific, National University of Singapore) opened the event with a keynote speech discussing a strategic perspective on de-risking supply chains. He elaborated on the risk challenges within the physical, information and financial flows of supply chains and the value that lies in thinking more holistically about these three flows. 

Kavickumar Muruganathan from Microsoft kicked off the corporate cases with an insightful presentation on harnessing technology to gain supply chain insights – “data is the new oil” as he put it. He delved into the role of technology in transitioning to more sustainable supply chains, ending his presentation with thoughts on which sustainability trends will define supply chain transformation.  

This corporate case was followed by two research presentations: the first from Yan Xin (The Logistics Institute Asia Pacific at the National University of Singapore & Beijing University of Technology) and the second from our academic director, Luca Gelsomino. Yan Xin presented his research findings about the impact of repayment willingness on supply chain finance risk management in the context of blockchain. Luca Gelsomino continued by emphasizing the importance of integrated thinking. He sought to provide a broader perspective on supply chain finance and its drivers and shared the highlights of our latest research on deep-tier financing.  

Jens Rutenkröger from TÜV SÜD provided a glimpse into the SuppliedTrust research project, unveiling the company’s blockchain application. He explained the role of trusted sensor data and provided an intriguing example of a clean energy blockchain.  

After a coffee break, Sanjay Desai from Humana International continued with his views on future developments in the SCF ecosystem. He elaborated on the potential of deeper SCF products including deep-tier financing, factoring, reverse factoring, and dynamic discounting. Moreover, he discussed several trends in supply chain finance regarding regulations, governance, and technology. As he explained in his presentation, he anticipates the acceleration of green finance, a shift towards localized SCF solutions and evolving SCF networks. 

This insightful presentation on the future of SCF was followed by Steven Beck from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He shared ADB’s dual approach to developing supply chain finance, shedding light on the barriers to deep-tier supply chain finance adoption and the path forward. Some of the barriers he mentioned are a lack of a standardised legal framework and limited market awareness and incentives.  

An engaging panel discussion organized by sponsor SMBC, moderated by Sarat Mohanty brought together industry experts, Ajith Gopinath (Mondelez International), Priti Jauhari (Schneider Electric), Peter Woon (Cushman & Wakefield), and Sanjay Desai (Humana International), to discuss resilience in the supply chain management flow model. 

The day concluded with an enlightening corporate case presented by Michael Hamann from BT Sourced, offering insights into their transformational journey from traditional to dynamic early- payment solutions. 

 Kavickumar Muruganathan, found it to be a niche event, that brought together the broad themes of finance and supply chain to the heart of the conversation. He said, ‘‘The intricacies are tremendous especially when sustainability is concerned, where finance today is being used as a lever to enable sustainable supply chains. I look forward to being part of future editions and thank the organisers for putting together a thought-provoking session that brings together diverse yet like-minded stakeholders.” 

His sentiment was echoed by Dr. De Souza, who said, ‘‘I found participating in the event very fruitful. It was excellent learning about Supply Chain Finance and its significant advancements. I especially enjoyed interacting with others who are part of the industry at the event. I look forward to joining the next event.’’  

Did you miss this event and would like to learn more about these topics? More corporate events are coming up this year in various locations within Europe, and the USA, so make sure to keep an eye on our website and sign up for our Newsletter to be the first one to hear about any upcoming events. 

You can watch the highlights of our event here: