Steven Beck

Head of Trade and Supply Chain Finance, Asian Development Bank

Steven Beck is the head of trade and supply chain finance at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a program which supports over 10,000 transactions worth about US $7 billion annually.  In his fifteen years at the ADB, Steven has led the program to exponential growth, and has launched initiatives to make trade and supply chains green, resilient, transparent, and socially responsible.

Steven established the first and only authoritative source of default and loss data in trade financing at the peak of the 2008 Financial Crisis, reshaping the regulatory treatment of trade finance and freeing up billions in additional financing capacity as a result. He launched ADB’s groundbreaking analysis on global unmet demand for trade finance, highlighting the imperative to address this market failure to create transformative economic benefits, particularly across developing Asia, and in support of small businesses across the region. ADB’s Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program has been a champion of global trade digitalization and implemented projects that advance prosperity and inclusion through trade; these include initiatives to combat money laundering in trade, efforts to increase traceability of carbon emissions and sustainability in global supply chains as well as solutions targeting greater adoption of social and labour safety standards in international commerce.

He serves on industry bodies, including the Governing Board of the Digital Standards Initiative and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Working Group for Trade Finance. Steven is a member of Advisory Council of the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation, providing strategic advice on international accounting and sustainability reporting standards.

He holds an M.A. from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, USA and a B.A. from Queen’s University, Canada.

Awards: Fellowship Award Issued by Trade Finance Review (TFR) - Oct 2016, Numerous Industry Awards for ADB's Trade Finance Program Issued by Trade Finance Magazine, Trade & Forfaiting Review, Global Trade Review

Expertise In: Banking, Strategy, Management

PODCAST| It takes a village: ADB and MonetaGo on digital trade and partnerships

Trade finance is the lifeblood of global commerce, enabling companies around the world to expand their operations across borders.

Steven BeckArticles, Featured, MonetaGo, Podcasts, Technology, Trade Finance Talks, Tradetech
digitalisation of trade

ADB Report: Trade finance gap grows to $2.5tn, and sustainability remains a key strategy

ADB’s flagship Trade Finance Gaps Survey returns for its eighth edition, confirming expectations that the global trade finance gap – unmet demand for trade financing – has worsened, reaching  $2.5 trillion, an increase of 47% since the last stock-taking which pegged the gap at $1.7 trillion in 2020. 

Steven BeckArticles, Featured, Green Finance, Issue 18, SME Finance, Supply Chain Finance, Sustainability, Technology, Trade Finance, Trade Finance Talks, Tradetech
Deglobalisation and the role of multilaterals - the current state of trade finance

VIDEO | Deglobalisation and the role of multilaterals – the current state of trade finance

At the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) UAE’s Trade Facilitation Summit, Trade Finance Global (TFG) spoke with Steven Beck, head of the trade and supply chain finance program at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Steven BeckArticles, Featured, ICC, International Trade, SME Finance, Sponsored, Supply Chain Finance, Sustainability, Trade Finance, Videos on Trade Finance Talks TV
Steven Beck - Asian Development Bank

Mapping supply chains amid a global crisis

How interactive tools can empower firms to trace vital supplies in times of crisis

Steven BeckArticles, Coronavirus, Hong Kong, International Trade, japan, Raw Materials, Singapore, Supply Chain Finance, supply chain management, Trade Finance, Trade Finance Talks, Tradetech, World finance
pandemic

ADB Study Maps Supply Chains for Key Products in COVID-19 Response

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (28 May 2020) —The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has released a landmark study which maps supply chains for critical products in the global response to the novel coronavirus disease… read more →

Steven BeckCoronavirus, News, Non-Pharmaceutical Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Supply Chain Finance, supply chain management, Wire, World finance
sri lanka

ADB’s Trade Finance Program Supports Medical Supplies to Combat Pandemic in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (6 May 2020) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided a guarantee for a $25 million trade loan to the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka… read more →

Steven BeckBusiness loans, Coronavirus, Loans, News, Non-Pharmaceutical Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Wire, World finance
Steven Beck ADB Covid-19 Podcast Podcast Banners

PODCAST: ADB -Development Banks step up in the fight against COVID-19 (S1 E36)

In response to ADB’s recent USD $200mn to boost trade finance in response to the impact of COVID-19, TFG caught up with Manilla based Steven Beck on TFT. The requirements for multinationals and development banks has never been more important in keeping supply chains running.

Steven BeckArticles, Coronavirus, Featured, For Exporters, Freight Forwarding, Podcasts, Risk, Shipping, Supply Chain Finance, Technology, Trade Finance, Tradetech
Steven Beck

Is AI the top technology trend for 2020? An Asian Development Bank Trade perspective for the next decade

We heard from Steven Beck, Head of Trade Finance at the Asian Development Bank, giving his musings on 2019, a year of uncertainty in trade, and what 2020 might bring for trade and supply chain in Asia.

Steven BeckArticles, FCI, Featured, Interviews, Legal, Supply Chain Finance, supply chain management, Technology, Trade Finance
TFT TV ADB

VIDEO: Steven Beck (Asian Development Bank) on Trade Gaps, Growth and Jobs in Asia

We caught up with the Head of Trade Finance at Asian Development Bank, Steve Beck. We talked about the newly published Trade Finance Gaps, Growth, and Jobs Survey.

Steven BeckArticles, Blockchain, Interviews, Sibos, Sibos Videos, SME Finance, Supply Chain Finance, Trade Finance, Tradetech, Videos on Trade Finance Talks TV
1200x675_Steven Beck

A Deep Dive into ADB’s Trade Finance Program

In 2012, Asian Development Bank’s Trade Finance Program (TFP) commissioned a unique study, the first of its kind, to understand and quantify the unmet demand for trade finance, known as the global trade finance gap. Over the years, TFP has updated this study to quantify and inform policymakers and market participants about the main drivers for this persistent trade finance gap.

Steven BeckArticles, Bonds, Guarantees and Letters of Credit, Credit Insurance, For Exporters, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Risk, Singapore, South Korea, Supply Chain Finance, Trade Finance, Trade Finance Talks, United Arab Emirates
Asian Development Bank

Steven Beck, ADB on fighting financial crime and addressing market gaps in trade in Asia

ADB’s Steven Beck explores the challenges, risks, and implications of fighting financial crime and how such precautions are impacting market gaps.

Steven BeckArticles, Credit Insurance, For Exporters, Legal, Risk, Trade Finance
Back to Top