via Trade Finance Global by Tod Burwell, Mahika Ravi Shankar, and Silvia Andreoletti
E2: What’s front of mind for bankers right now?
- Geopolitical uncertainty and supply chain fragmentation are now a permanent feature of banking, making resilient risk and liquidity management more important than ever.
- Banks are embracing AI to improve efficiency, but they are equally focused on governing, controlling and defending against AI-driven fraud while preserving human judgement.
- Stablecoins and other digital assets are moving from theory to practical banking applications, with partnerships and clear regulation seen as essential for safe and inclusive adoption.
Deepfake-driven fraud, the rise of stablecoins, whiplash regulatory changes, and artificial intelligence (AI) that is developing so quickly, it may well have replaced us all next week… It’s not easy being a 21st-century banker.
At the BAFT’s (Bankers Association for Finance and Trade) Global Annual Meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, in May 2026, these themes were front and centre. BAFT’s flagship conference brought together transaction bankers from across the trade and payments industry in a ‘mini-SIBOS’ where attendees combined bilateral business meetings with sessions exploring the sector’s latest developments.
For the second episode of Trade Finance Global (TFG) and BAFT’s podcast series, ‘Banking on the present’, Mahika Ravi Shankar, Deputy Editor at TFG, spoke with Tod Burwell, BAFT’s President and CEO, to get an insider view on the conference and delve into its hottest topics.