VIDEO | Byblos Bank Europe on bridging markets and building resilience - Trade Treasury Payments

At the Asian Development Bank’s Trade & Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP) Awards in Singapore, Trade Treasury Payments spoke with Victor Van Der Kwast, CEO and Managing Director of Byblos Bank Europe, about the bank’s role in mobilising trade finance across both developed and developing markets.

Van Der Kwast reflected on today’s environment. “Markets are really volatile. Building an international franchise is not that easy anymore. In the old days, you could predict two, three, four, five years ahead. Now it is difficult to predict two years ahead. At the same time, the world still needs food, commodities and energy. Our role is to be a bridge between markets, parties, continents, and that is what we have done for many years.”

He stressed that continuity is key, even when volatility makes planning harder. “Today it is less obvious than it was before, but life goes on. You have to adjust to the new reality.” Byblos Bank Europe has built its business on linking Europe with Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, supporting clients in moving goods and finance across borders.

On the partnership with ADB, Van Der Kwast said, “ADB is for us critical. You are a source of information about markets and cultures. You provide support which is enormously valuable for us. We are in Europe, you are in Asia. It allows us to connect. Together we are stronger and together we are bigger. That is the whole game of trade finance on a global scale.”

For Byblos Bank Europe, building resilience is about staying relevant to clients across regions while contributing to development outcomes. Connectivity and partnership remain at the heart of its international franchise, even in volatile times.