Standard Commerce Bank

2019, Volatility be thy name…

No, the author is not suffering from short-term memory loss that made him forgot the roller coaster we had this year, especially December. In all the markets. Come on, Oil’s “fair” price is US$ 42 or 76? These are the extremes of the year.

We had a triple, quadruple witching year, with erratic political behaviour from several huge potencies that shall remain unnamed. Also on the verge of war in several corners of the world, being war, as Von Clausewitz so wisely put, “the continuation of politics by other means” -which reflects ever so badly on the quality of politicians these days. We had violent swings in all the relevant markets. We had analysts absolutely befuddled and confessing they have no clue…

That’s looking in the rearview mirror, and frankly adds not much value to what expect ahead, because -change is changing. So, even the most volatile examples and extremes that we passed are no clue or offer no model for what’s ahead. To this extent, a cursory look at the genius works by Nessim Thaleb, especially “The Black Swann”, can orient us and help us prepare, say, “qualitatively”, because the traditional metrics fail in these extreme moments. Monte Carlo simulation? Come on…someone thought “Collateralized Debt Obligations”?

This is where expert advise comes in, and has to be dispensed with humility. There are mechanisms to cope with volatility, sure, some very reliable and pretty sophisticated, but they only go so far -if used correctly, that is.

Our role as bankers and advisers to our clients for more than 20 years is to show them these instruments, along with the limitations, downsides and costs. It’s not sunny outside, the weather in VolatilityLand is definitely overcast.
As specialists in Foreign Trade and instruments that facilitate these transactions, we have been working with our customers along these lines. Sobriety and risk awareness are 90% . The remaining 20% are humility. No, I’m not miscalculating, either. If you don’t give your client 110%, why bother showing up?

The Changing Future of the European Union Despite recent seismic changes, the European Union is decidedly not in danger of complete collapse.

Hello. we invite you to read our recent General manager's article that has been published by Global Banking & Finance:

The Changing Future of the European Union Despite recent seismic changes, the European Union is decidedly not in danger of complete collapse.

To everybody that enjoyed the article,thank you. There is more to come -1 every two weeks. Follow us...

Standard Commerce Bank Standard Commerce Bank (SCB) is a privately owned bank specializing in trade and export finance prod

Balancing Choice and Risk: The Transformative Rise of Fintech

The rise of Fintech is an ongoing phenomenon, with effects already being felt. This article reiterates that “there is no such thing as free lunch” – no riskless transaction.
A dramatic increase in products offered by revolutionary Fintech companies has been paralleled by an equal fraud rise. Cryptocurrency theft is already measured in billions. Risk is diffuse, the decision-making process more challenging -within certain verticals, you can be left without possible recourse.
It is more important now than ever the advice of trusted experts when dealing with instruments for facilitating foreign trade. As experts on this issue, we evaluate deals from a strict and intelligent approach to research.
In our jurisdiction, Dominica, there are 3 levels of oversight. The first is the internal Compliance Department, acts independently with direct channel to Directors. The second is a mandatory External Audit, and also the Government’s Financial Services Unit receives regular reports and does thorough inspections. This ensures our customers and partners are dealing with an accredited provider operating with accountability and supervision. We are here for the long run, and our clients will be as well.

Tomer Katz, our compliance expert and financial specialist, speculates on the effects of on the British and European economies.
http://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/brexit-macroeconomic-musings-on-the-future-of-the-british-economy/

BREXIT: MACROECONOMIC MUSINGS ON THE FUTURE OF THE BRITISH ECONOMY June 23rd 2016 might be marked as the most important event in financial markets since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.