The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is a member of the World Bank Group that focuses on private sector development in emerging markets. The IFC works in over 100 countries, using its capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an international body that deals with the global rules of trade between nations, ensuring smooth, predictable, and free trade for all its members. The report focuses on trade finance in the Mekong region, specifically Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Viet Nam. It discusses the trade profiles of the Mekong region, trade dynamics, local trade finance markets, trade finance instruments, trade finance across sectors, trade finance for firms owned or led by women, trade finance for climate-related activities, trade finance constraints, supply chain finance and reverse factoring, trade finance rejection rates, and correspondent banking relationships. The report concludes that closing the trade finance gap would have significant economic benefits, including reduced trade costs and increased aggregate exports and imports.
