In today’s interconnected global economy, businesses of all sizes are increasingly engaging in international trade. While the opportunities are vast, so too are the challenges, especially when it comes to navigating the complex world of trade finance. Whether you’re an importer, exporter or a company with cross-border operations, partnering with the right trade finance bank can make or break your ability to scale, manage risk and ensure timely cash flow.

This is a sentiment shared by many CFOs and treasurers when it comes to selecting their trade finance and working capital banking partners in the Asia-Pacific region as was discovered during Asset Benchmark Research  ( ABR )’s annual Treasury Review 2025 ( TR 2025 ), which looked into the factors treasury management professionals examine when choosing a banking partner for their trade finance needs.

The most important factor, similar to previous years, is pricing. This is followed by credit limits provided by the bank and, finally, service quality. Pricing evidentially is more critical today due to increased competition, economic uncertainty and the complexity of global trade amid geopolitical tensions. As businesses face tighter margins and more cost-conscious markets, affordable trade finance solutions are essential.

When it comes to service quality, TR 2025 respondents are looking for banks that are able to provide swift implementation of trade finance services, whether it be the issuance of letter of credit or the setting up of a supply-chain finance programme. Others point to banks being proactive in answering their queries as a standout factor and, quite crucial, having a good understanding of a client’s business.

As in previous years, the focus on working capital efficiency is a focus for several treasury management professionals opting for supply-chain financing, whether it be receivable or supplier financing. The main benefits cited by implementing such a programme include enhanced available liquidity, extended payment terms and improved collection processes. There is also a slight growth in respondents from 32% to 44% interested to learn about deep-tier financing, where funding is available beyond tier-one suppliers to help smaller or even micro ones. 

These are some of the observations from ABR’s annual TR 2025, which engaged with over 600 treasury management professionals, including CFOs and treasurers, across the region in early 2025 on how they view the current trends shaping finance/treasury and the service providers with which they work.

The TR 2025 findings represent just the tip of the iceberg of insights uncovered by Asset Benchmark Research. Stay tuned for more insights in the coming weeks.