Synopsis

The Arab Trade Financing Program (ATFP) is a specialized multi Arab financial institution with a mission to promote Arab trade and to increase the competitive capabilities of the Arab producers and exporters.

Establishment

ATFP was established in 1989, the authorized capital amounts to US$ 1 billion. The Program’s 53 shareholders include Arab Monetary Fund, multilateral Arab financing institutions, public and private financial and banking institutions in member countries, as well as joint Arab-foreign financial and banking institutions.

Domicile

ATFP is domiciled in Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates where it has been granted privileges and immunities pursuant to a special protocol.

Mission & Means

ATFP aims at promoting Arab trade and the realization of the objectives of the Agreement for the Facilitation and the Development of Trade between Arab Countries and the Arab Free Trade Zone. The Program provides various financing tools that include besides the Lines of Credit that are made available to its national agencies, risk sharing with the national agencies in its financing operations, forfaiting and financing in accordance with the Islamic Sharia. Additionally, ATFP avails a wide range of information on Arab trade to all parties engaged in this activity through the Intra Arab Trade Information Network (IATIN) and attempts at promoting Arab trade through the execution of an ongoing program of buyers and sellers meetings in key economic sectors that demonstrate a potential for growth in trade for Arab countries.

Intra-Arab Trade Information Network
IATIN

Cognizant of the fact that the availability of reliable and updated information could be the decisive factor in the successful completion of trade deals, ATFP has through a joint project with the UNDP, and in technical cooperation with the International Trade Center in Geneva, set up the Intra Arab Trade Information Network with the goal of providing relevant information on Arab trade to all parties concerned.

IATIN has its central core at ATFP’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The core is connected to reliable global data banks, in addition to regional focal points being Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Export Promotion Centers in the Arab countries. The focal points feed the necessary updated information on Arab trade and market players in the relevant country to IATIN’s central core which processes the information and avails it to interested parties on an online basis.

Information Services

A wide array of services and data are made available by ATFP on the site with the goal of providing comprehensive information on Arab trade. This includes names of exporters, importers and goods traded. Market profiles on the individual Arab countries are available, and include entry regulations, free trade areas, foreign exchange systems, storage shipping and transportation facilities as well as other logistics information. Trade Statistics for the various Arab countries are also available. Additionally, the trader can make use of an online trade opportunities matching system to post trade opportunities.