Global trade is entering one of those uneasy phases when the old map no longer explains the world, but the new one has yet to fully form. For decades, the logic was simple enough: build where it’s cheapest, scale where it’s easiest, ship where demand is. That formula pulled much of the world’s manufacturing gravity toward traditional hubs, which rose from one workshop among many to the workshop of the world. Countries across the world are making their case. India leans on a l

In a period marked by rigorous scrutiny of venture capital and an increasing emphasis on robust business fundamentals, the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) proposal to establish a $60 million trade finance facility for Maritime Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MSB) merits close attention. While the announcement pertains to conventional banking, its implications extend profoundly into Vietnam’s small‐ and medium‐enterprise (SME) sector and startup ecosystem—particularly f