The Asian Development Bank has agreed a significant expansion of its trade finance programme, to generate up to $15bn in support through until 2013 to help to counter an export slump that has been exacerbated by the lending difficulties of commercial banks.

The trade finance gap is to be discussed at today's G20 meeting in London. Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, has talked of hopes to secure a deal to provide $100bn (€76bn, ￡70bn) of trade finance.

Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank, this week announced a $50bn global trade liquidity programme. Taso Aso, the Japanese prime minister, told the Financial Times that Tokyo would provide more than $22bn in additional trade financing assistance and give global coverage to a trade insurance network it announced for Asia-Pacific last year.