SFNet's International Lending Conference, now in its 18^th year, will be held May 13-15, 2024, and will offer thought-provoking discussions led by experts who will explore the nuances of international transactions, and gain strategic intelligence on global economic trends. Issues surrounding private equity, private debt, syndications, restructurings, and technology in ABL will also be addressed.

On Monday, May 13, SFNet’s Europe Chapter will hold its Pre-ILC event at Squire Patton Boggs in London. For information about this event, click here. There will then be an Opening Reception, sponsored by Hilco Valuation Services and Breal Group at Vinoteca City in London.

Registration will be held from8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and a welcome and introduction from 9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, May 14.

The World According to David: A Geopolitical Update from David Chmiel will kick off the conference. Chmiel, co-founder and managing director of Global Torchlight, will return to provide an overview of key issues in the current global political environment and what they all mean for cross-border lending and global trade.

Immediately following Chmiel will be Market Update: What’s Happening Now and will feature active market participants discussing the current state of play in cross-border lending. Chris Hawes, managing director, Debt and Capital Advisory, PwC, will serve as moderator. Panelists will include Nigel Hogg, head of Capital Finance, Wells Fargo Capital Finance; Dominic Griffiths, global head of Banking and Finance, Mayer Brown; and Laura Jakubowski, knowledge management attorney, Goldberg Kohn.

“SFNet, with the assistance of several member law firms, has spent a great deal of time over the last year collecting and curating public transaction data and other key information related to the cross-border asset-based lending market,” Jakubowski said.  “We are looking forward to showing SFNet members and conference attendees the data and resources that are available to them on the SFNet website and how to search and analyze this data, as well as sharing insights that we have gathered from this information.”

Following the morning panels will be a break from 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., sponsored by Goldberg Kohn Ltd.

Private Debt: Where Does it Go from Here?,sponsored by White Oak Commercial Finance, will feature Alex Dell, partner, Mayer Brown, as moderator and Johann Bösch-Salcedo, director, Europe, Chiron Financial, LLC; Rob Connold, partner, Debt and Capital Advisory, Deloitte; Jonathan Levine, managing director, Bantry Bay; and Tom Otte, partner, head of Asset-Based Lending, White Oak Commercial Finance, who will share their views on the current lending environment and what new challenges private debt may confront as it continues to expand and what it may mean for bank lenders.

Private Equity: From the Borrowers’ Side, sponsored by Winston & Strawn LLP,will follow Lunch,sponsored by Goldberg Kohn Ltd. This panel of private equity representatives will share their experience with the asset-based lending product – the benefits, the challenges and how it compares to their other alternatives. Get new insights into how you may develop your product to work better.

Jeremy Harrison, managing director - Sales & Origination, ABN AMRO Commercial Finance, ABN AMRO Asset Based Finance N.V. UK Branch will be the moderator. Ian Borman, partner, Winston & Strawn LLP, Marc Finer, principal, Debt Financing & Capital Markets, Aurelius Investments Limited, and Aidan Robson, partner, Endless LLP will be the panelists.

“Businesses have faced instability and uncertainty from the impacts of global and UK specific shifts,” Harrison explained. “However, as a lender with cross-border experience and having worked within ABL for over 30 years, I can see underlying growth, with continual opportunities for conversions from RCFs in what is a crowded, but also economically challenging, a  it’s acceptable to a broader range of client, however, we do need to make the process simpler to really grow the PE market, particularly where there is an M&A process. One of the advantages of the International Lending Conference is that we get a US and international perspective.”

“The integration of ABL structures into leverage finance only continues to grow,” Borman added.  “We used to see very adverse reactions to security sharing proposals, but there is a much greater understanding now of how ABL can sit alongside term funding.  Classically in leveraged finance transactions ABL was limited to a permitted debt carve out, but we now regularly see ABL tranches replacing working capital in unitranche transactions or ABL as the main financing instrument, with added term debt.”

In Technological Developments for Asset-Based Lending attendees will earn about new developments in software and programming to improve and facilitate collateral monitoring, including the ongoing challenges of inventory in a cross-border context as well as managing the risk of “foreign” receivables. 

Mike Roth, director, Deutsche Bank AG Asset Based Finance, will moderate. Panelists will include Paul Bower, director, FGI; Frank Husken, managing director, Finventory21 B.V.;  and Martijn Witvoet, international director Asset Valuation, ABN AMRO Asset Based Finance N.V.

Bower explained how there is a sense of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) when it comes to technology.  “Technology is changing the market and lenders that aren’t engaging stand to be left behind,” Bower said “Perhaps one can learn how specialist platforms and the use of integrated technologies are changing the way asset-based lenders manage collateral and risk. Our panelists will discuss the challenges of IT system change and the key things ABL providers need to look for when engaging a technology solution -- specialist, cloud-based platforms that can be connected into wider systems without major overhaul, vendors that understand the industry and can collaborate with other providers. This is a big shift to system provision over last five years or so.”

Following a brief break sponsored by Goldberg Kohn Ltd., will be Concurrent Breakout Sessions from 3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

The Next Gen Roundtable, sponsored by the Next Gen Committee of the SFNet European Chapter, will feature members of the Chapter’s NextGen community speak with more senior professionals about how finance can have a positive social and environmental impact, and how both early career and senior leaders view and prepare for succession planning. 

Boudewijn Smit, counsel, NautaDutilh will serve as moderator. Panelists include Chris Hall, chief executive officer, Hilco Valuation Services Europe; Krishna Omkar, founder, Return on Equity; Veena Patel, executive director, sr. counsel, Rabobank; and Peter Wozny, sr. legal counsel, Btomorrow Ventures.

This dynamic panel will with have a different focus than the typical ILC panels, focusing on the intersection of corporate responsibility and societal impact. The panelists, carefully selected for their dual roles in the corporate world and societal improvement, will delve into the challenges and opportunities of leveraging corporate resources for positive change.

Omkar brings expertise in advising boards and executives on achieving equitable outcomes and sustainable growth; Wozny represents Btomorrow Ventures (BTV), the corporate venture capital arm of BAT, with a focus on driving transformation and accelerating change; Patel has spearheaded initiatives like RaboTogether, fostering diversity and inclusion within the organization and beyond and Hall adds a seasoned perspective to the discussion, bringing insights into industry evolution, and generational differences.

Key discussion points will include: balancing corporate interests and societal impact, corporate venture capital for social good, empathy and diversity in leadership, measuring impact: What metrics should companies consider when assessing the impact of their social initiatives? and industry evolution and ESG Practices:

The Syndications Roundtable will be facilitated by Peter York, senior advisor, Gordon Brothers. Participants will dive deep into the dynamics of syndicated lending and exchange ideas and uncover valuable insights that can shape their approach to syndication in the international cross-border lending market.

Following the Roundtables will be a One-on-One with Seda Yalçınkaya, general counsel with Apollo. Sarah Day, partner, DLA Piper and Seda Yalçınkaya will have a candid conversation around private equity, private debt, and the current issues that Apollo sees with respect to the state of those businesses—including fund raising, regulatory, new opportunities, the state of the markets as they impact those businesses, and more. 

At the end of the day will be a Networking Reception from5:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

On, Wednesday, May 15, Cash Management in International Secured Transactions: The Critical Element, will kick off day 2 of ILC. Lenders engaged in cross-border lending understand how critical it is to have the borrower’s cash management properly structured. In this panel, we explore the particular challenges of working with companies and depository banks across jurisdictions to achieve that objective, including in navigating the various institutional policies of depository banks that may not be consistent with the needs of the company and lender for an asset-based facility.

Paula Laird, partner, head of Banking EMEA, Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP will be the moderator with panelists Alison Powell, cross border relationship manager, Wells Fargo Capital Finance UK Ltd., Boudewijn Smit, counsel, NautaDutilh, and Louise Stevenson, director-European Global Commercial Bank, Bank of America. The panel will focus on topics such as a Dutch approach for security over bank accounts; requirement for cooperation of account bank to create valid security and reluctance of most traditional Dutch banks to cooperate, Competitive advantage for secured lenders who can also offer bank accounts in the Netherlands (broader set-off rights and protections in insolvency) and more.

Italy: Did You Know? will follow featuring a one-on-one interview with David Morse, partner, Otterbourg P.C. and Italian secured-lending lawyer, Gennaro Mazzuoccolo, partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Studio Legale. It will highlight how key new developments in the secured transaction laws of Italy developments may change the secured lending landscape for assets in Italy offering real solutions and opportunities.

“We all know that the legal regime in Italy has been challenging for asset-based lending—but with recent developments now providing for a new form of pledge (and including a lien registry), some of those challenges have been addressed,” Morse said.  “Gennaro and I are really going to get into how a secured lender can make it work the next time a borrower asks for assets in Italy to be included in the borrowing base.”

Following a break sponsored by Goldberg Kohn Ltd. will be the final panel of the ILC, The World of Restructuring:  New Procedures, New Challenges. With the implementation of the EU directive, new procedures have been implemented, which pose new challenges to the secured lender. This panel will review what a secured lender now confronts in an international context regarding borrowers in distress, recovery of their debt, and approaches to the insolvency process and how law and practice are evolving in this arena.

Nick Moser, partner, Taylor Wessing LLP (UK, will be the moderator and panelists will include: Koos Beke, Partner, PwC (Netherlands); Christian Ebner, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal (Munich); Simon Edel, Partner, Restructuring, Ernst & Young LLP (UK); Dimitri G. Karcazes, principal, Goldberg Kohn Ltd. (USA) and Andrew J. Knight, partner, Corporate and Financial Services, Crowell & Moring (UK).

The conference will conclude with a lunch from 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.  sponsored by Goldberg Kohn Ltd.

For more information or to register, please click here.