IFC is building a global network of partnerships among issuing banks and confirming banks that can tap risk mitigation for trade on an as-needed, per-transaction basis. The program lends critical support to challenging and nascent markets, particularly the growing ‘south-south’ trade flows. The breadth and depth of the network is a key benefit to the participating banks in the program, made up currently of 144 international commercial banks that act as confirming banks and serve as potential trading partners for the 114 local issuing banks in our client countries participating in the program to date. The primary focus of the program has been on the under-served markets in Africa and Latin America by providing capacity building of local banks through trade finance training - training courses have already been carried out in Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, South Africa, Rwanda, Liberia, Nicaragua, Mexico, Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago, Mozambique, Peru, Tanzania, PNG and Bangladesh. Some 700 bankers from 44 countries have benefited from this focused training. Additionally, extended on-site advisory services have been carried out in Sierra Leone, Liberia, PNG, Nicaragua, Uganda, Haiti and Mongolia.