Britain is well-placed to lead the development of international trade, a high-profile ifs University College trade finance event has heard.

Speaking at the launch of the new Certificate in International Trade Finance (CITF®) qualification, Sue Langley CEO of the UK Financial Services Investment Organisation and Kah Chye Tan, Chair ICC Banking Commission, agreed that Britain has created a robust environment to allow international trade to flourish.

A combination of domestic expertise and a growing need for international trade practitioners has seen British companies support emerging trends in the developing world, alongside the creation of burgeoning relationships between British and international companies.

With the value of international trade to pass $30tn by 2020 both also argued for the need for highly-qualified professionals to support the changing needs of the sector.

To support this need, ifs University College, alongside the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) have re-launched an updated version of its Certificate in International Trade Finance (CITF®) for international trade professionals.

CITF® is a professional qualification for trade, export and commodity professionals who need to gain and demonstrate a thorough understanding of key procedures, practices and legislation in trade finance on an international level. These include professionals from every area of the world trade industry, from trade finance professionals to exporters and importers.

To mark the launch of CITF®, Anne Kiem, Chief Information Officer at ifs University College said:

 “With the development of the new CITF®, we are confident of bringing change to the international trade sector and in doing so, supporting the careers of the next generation of trade finance professionals. With the help and support of ICC we’re ideally placed to support the further professionalization of the sector and further the growth of international trade.”

Thierry Senechal, Senior Policy Manager, Banking Commission, ICC said:

 “Following a rapidly evolving partnership between ICC and ifs University College we’re delighted to help launch the new CITF®. In an ever-changing environment where the needs of trade finance professionals become increasingly specialised, we’re certain that this partnership will not be the last between our two organisations. We look forward to developing further qualifications to enhance the skills of the professionals who work in this area.”

Registrations for the next exam in October 2014 will open from 1 April until 4 August this year. For more information on CITF® and how to register, please visit: institute.ifslearning.ac.uk/citf