Expertise

When we published our last newsletter in February, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia had just started. Three months further on, the consequences of this unprecedented and unprovoked invasion of a sovereign European state continue to shock the world, while the disruption to Ukraine’s exports of grain and other commodities – the country accounts for around 10% of global wheat exports - is creating major problems in many developing countries.

While our first concern has to be with the humanitarian consequences of Russia’s actions – both directly within Ukraine and indirectly on poorer populations around the world – we can also speculate on the consequences for the banking and financial system which are flowing from the actions of the last three months. These include sanctions on individuals, banks and companies with Russian connections, the dramatic price movements in oil and gas and soft and hard commodities and disruptions to global supply chains already struggling with the consequences of Covid.

In this edition of Expertise:

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Michael Trippitt, a financial sector equity analyst, comments on the litigation risks which may follow sanctions imposed over the past three months, including inadvertent breaches by companies and individuals operating in the US and UK.

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Alan Jervis, an expert in marine and transportation insurance, gives an overview on the current state of Trade Credit Insurance and discusses some of the areas where it has experienced major stresses, including from Covid, oil trading frauds in the Asian markets and the war in Ukraine.

Our experts in banking, insurance, investments, trade finance and commodity trading are equipped to deal with many of the areas where litigation may arise, whether as expert advisers or testifying experts. We continue to add to our team and welcome enquiries related to these areas.

 

Managing Director, GBRW Expert Witness May 2022