International Credit & Trade Finance Certificate

Location:

Online

Start dates:

May,

Sept,

Feb

Fees:

$1,980 (USD)

Overview

Set your organization up for global success in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by learning the fundamentals of international trade credit management and export trade finance. Develop the skills necessary to analyze international customer credit risks and interpret financial statements. Learn to manage accounts receivable, international credit and collections, and how to use the most appropriate export risk mitigation and financing alternatives. You will be empowered with the techniques, tools, and understanding to drive growth by successfully mitigating credit and financial risks, enhancing working capital, and implementing strategic process improvements in the quote-to-cash cycle.

Thunderbird’s Executive Certificate of International Credit and Trade Finance is offered in partnership with The Association of International Credit and Trade Finance Professionals (ICTF). ICTF is an independent, not-for-profit, member-led organization with a mission of advancing the profession of international credit management by providing unmatched expertise, leadership, powerful connections, leading-edge educational programs and resources, and an unparalleled forum for the exchange of information and best practices. To become a member or for more information about ICTF, please visit www.ictfworld.org.

The 3-course executive certificate contains two 8-week, facilitated online courses, and an elective on-demand course. The two facilitated courses are offered in February, May, and September each year, depending on demand. There are about 4-8 hours of content per week, with a facilitator guiding online discussions. Completing a course with a grade of 70% or higher earns a digital badge and 3 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) per course. A participant completing the three courses within a 24-month period earns an Executive Certificate in International Credit & Trade Finance from Thunderbird.

To earn your Executive Certificate in International Credit & Trade Finance, enroll or contact us today.

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Learning Outcomes

Develop a firm grasp of the fundamentals of global trade concepts such as credit accounts receivable and financing
Enhance your export trade finance techniques and develop an understanding of export financing alternatives

Understand how to keep your organization in compliance with international laws and collection regulations
Define methods to determine international customer risks and evaluate financial statements analysis

Master the fundamentals of credit risk assessment and sharpen your financial skills to expand your global potential
Learn how to utilize your new knowledge to implement process improvement initiatives in global credit and accounts receivable

Who Should Attend?

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Aspiring global trade professionals seeking to develop a firm understanding of the fundamentals of global trade concepts.

Businesswoman smile while sitting in her office near her laptop.

Practitioners who seek greater expertise in the topics of global trade risks, international trade credit and risk management, accounts receivable management and export trade finance.

Curriculum

Essentials of International Credit and Trade Finance

This course introduces you to the concepts, processes, and mechanics of international credit and trade finance. You will explore the requirements, recommendations, and risks associated with global customers. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, you will learn about factors that indicate risk levels and techniques that are used to mitigate these risks as you consider the transaction components to sell and ship goods internationally and get paid in a timely fashion in the currency you want.

Each of the 8 content Modules of this program includes readings, videos, interactive assignments, discussion boards, and knowledge checks. The program culminates with a multiple-question exam.

Global Trade Concepts and Country Risk Analysis

Identify the origins and evolution of international trade credit.
Describe how and when, in today's economy, credit can be used as a sales tool.
Describe the risks of not getting paid due to country events.
Create methodologies for assessing country risks.

International Trade Credit and Accounts Receivable Management

Identify the responsibilities and structure of the International Credit and Collections Department, and how it works together with Sales, Finance, and other departments.
Describe the basic criteria for evaluating the creditworthiness of foreign companies (Cs of credit).
Recognize the value to credit managers of visiting foreign customers.
Enumerate the costs associated with offering credit and the impact on terms offered, pricing, and competitiveness.
Describe the purpose of a credit application form designed for international use, and how it would differ from one designed for domestic use.
Describe the process for developing an export credit policy and identify appropriate areas of content and responsibility.

International Payment and Shipping Terms

Explain the primary types of export documents and the purpose of each.
Describe the spectrum of payment terms used in international trade including the relative riskiness of each payment term.
Describe the mechanics of how money moves between banks internationally.
Describe the types of rules and regulations that apply to international payments and the movement of goods.
Describe how the Incoterms assign responsibilities, costs, and risks in the movement of goods; identify and define the most commonly used Incoterms; identify documents and payment terms that align with each Incoterm.
Identify the purpose of the Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the issues surrounding it.

Documentary Collections and Letters of Credit

Describe how documentary draft collections and letters of credit (LOCs) work.
Describe the essential elements of and strategies for completing a collection instructions letter.
Describe the two major principles of letters of credit.
Identify how standby letters of credit differ from commercial LOCs and how standby LOCs are used in export transactions.
Describe the rules and regulations that apply to Documentary Draft Collections and Letters of Credit.

International Customer Risks and Financial Statement Analysis

Describe the benefits of financial statement analysis.
Identify sources of financial information and their relative reliability.
Identify key elements of financial reports.
Describe common elements of a standard financial statement analysis template.
Describe the three types of analysis (Common Size, Trend, and Ratio) used in a standard financial statement analysis template.

Interpreting the Data to Establish Credit Limits and Credit Lines

Describe the qualitative aspects of evaluating a company’s creditworthiness.
Identify warning signs of financial instability.
Identify methods that reveal misrepresentation and financial fraud.
Describe the process for setting credit ratings and limits.
Recognize the components of Cash Flow Analysis from the International Trade Creditor’s perspective.

International Credit Risk Protection Mechanisms and Risk Mitigation Techniques

Describe and contrast various risk mitigation techniques.
Match appropriate risk mitigation techniques with different combinations of country and commercial risks of buyers and payment terms.
Explain the role played by export credit agencies (ECAs).
Create methodologies for assessing country risks.

International Cash Management and Collections

Describe a company’s supply chain and the “order-to-cash” cycle.
Describe the impact of having a long DSO, and techniques for collecting on time and improving DSO.
Describe how cultural issues affect payment timeliness and effective methods used to resolve disputes.
Identify appropriate methods used to recover bad debts, including third-party collections.
Identify when litigation is necessary and when arbitration is an effective alternative.

Duration: 8 weeks I Start: Feb., May, Sept.

Advanced International Credit and Trade Finance

This program delves deeper into the mechanics and analytics of international credit and trade finance. Through the use of advanced techniques and concepts, you will learn about credit risk assessments, export trade finance, effective portfolio management, and global credit and accounts receivable process improvement initiatives for the betterment of any international organization.

Each of the 8 content Modules of this program includes readings, videos, interactives, and knowledge checks. The program culminates with a multiple-question exam.

Global Credit Operations

Assess alternative reporting structures and global credit department structures in a multinational organization.
Analyze the potential value of handling certain credit functions in a shared services center.
Evaluate the content and sufficiency of multinational company credit policies.
Identify challenges and approaches to managing multicultural teams in the global credit organization.

Advanced International Financial Statement Analysis and Credit Risk Assessment

Evaluate all available data to make "commercially-minded" credit decisions that go beyond the analysis of financial statements.
Analyze how your company sets credit limits and identifies potential credit issues (“red flags”).
Analyze how your company adjusts for the fact that financial statements from different countries and regions of the world use diverse legal requirements, accounting standards, languages, currencies, and accepted practices.
Differentiate between financial statements applying IFRS and those using US GAAP.

Advanced Export Trade Finance Techniques, Export Financing Alternatives, and Working Capital Management

Identify and categorize finance structures based on either payment terms or the financing need they fill.
Analyze how credit insurance and the various forms of “structured trade finance” facilitate financing.
Identify and rate sources of funding in an export financing case.
Evaluate existing export sale financing, and recommend appropriate alternatives as necessary based on company needs and objectives.
Evaluate available data to make a recommendation to accept or deny an export financing request.

Global Portfolio Analysis and Portfolio Management

Calculate the credit and foreign exchange (FX) risks in a global A/R portfolio.
Analyze the use of hedging techniques to manage credit and foreign exchange (FX) risks in a global A/R portfolio.
Assess and discuss the relevance of various performance metrics in common use to measure the performance of the Credit & Collections Department.
Evaluate available data to make a recommendation to accept or deny an export financing request.

Enhancing the Foreign Trade Creditor's Position - Foreign Laws and Collection Procedures I

Assess whether your company’s export contracts are governed by the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) or not.
Differentiate between key elements of the CISG and the Uniform Commercial Code.
Describe how retention of title works in Latin America.
Describe techniques and strategies for improving collections, including the use of security instruments.

Enhancing the Foreign Trade Creditor’s Position- Foreign Laws and Collection Procedures II

Analyze techniques and strategies for improving collections in various regions and countries, considering differing cultures, legal systems, and available government services.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of arbitration versus litigation.

Cross - Border Bankruptcies and Comparison of Bankruptcy Systems

Identify cross-border bankruptcy laws that may apply in various situations.
Identify differences in bankruptcy practices and recovery strategies in different countries.
Develop strategies for recovery from bankrupt customers in different countries.
Analyze how “Chapter 15” bankruptcy procedures work in an international bankruptcy.

Global Credit and A/R Process Improvement Initiatives

Identify process improvement techniques that can be applied in Global Credit and Collections.
Analyze tools (shared services, outsourcing, freely negotiable letters of credit, etc.) that can improve Global Credit and Collections processes.
Design a Process Improvement Initiative: identify a process that might be improved within your company; describe a way to improve this process, including intended outcomes and benefits, methodology for implementation, possible obstacles to implementation, and metrics for measuring success.
Assess a real-life process improvement initiative.

Duration: 8 weeks I Start: Feb., May, Sept.

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Registration Information

Program	Type	Cost	Register
Essentials of International Credit and Trade Finance	Course	$1,980	May September
Advanced International Credit and Trade Finance	Course	$1,980	September

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