Practical finance intelligence
Financing
Trade finance decisions turn on structure, documents, bank appetite, and risk allocation—not on the label attached to an instrument.
What principals need to decide
Start with the transaction: commodity, parties, route, value, delivery window, and the evidence a bank can actually examine.
Questions worth answering
Documentary credits, open-account terms, prepayment, and structured facilities carry different documentary and counterparty risks. Compare the payment mechanism with title, inspection, sanctions, and performance obligations.
A practical working sequence
Prepare a concise transaction pack, map each document to the contract, ask the bank what it will accept, and keep commercial, legal, and compliance review separate.