Why Petroleum Broker Schemes Are Not Real Transactions
We see the same petroleum pitches recycled across inboxes, WhatsApp groups, and forwarded PDFs. They usually come wrapped in LOIs, ICPOs, SCOs, and a grab bag of “procedures” that sound official. The problem is simple. These packages have no connection to the real oil and gas supply chain. No verified cargo. No seller authority. No buyer credit. No bankable settlement path.
Real petroleum trade is a logistics and credit business.
If you cannot verify title, custody, and settlement with bank-grade documentation, there is no transaction to finance.
How the Real Oil and Gas Supply Chain Works
Real trade follows a sequence that is anchored to physical flows and regulated processes. Oil does not move because a broker forwarded a “soft corporate offer.” It moves because the parties can perform, the logistics are booked, and payment mechanics are acceptable to banks and counterparties.
Upstream and custody
Production is measured, nominated, and allocated through operators and documented handovers. The commodity exists in identifiable storage or in transit, with measurable quantities and traceable custody.
Midstream logistics
Movement happens through terminals, tank farms, pipelines, and vessels with independent survey at custody transfer points. If there is no credible custody transfer path, the “deal” is a story.
Trading and contracts
Trades are executed by principals with authority. Contracts align specs, delivery terms, and payment mechanics. Most serious flows are structured around bankable settlement terms, not chat messages.
Settlement
Banks settle against documentary requirements and agreed terms. If the file cannot support a bank-grade credit and compliance process, it will not reach execution.
What These Broker Packages Actually Are
These schemes are built to look like transactions while staying permanently uncloseable. The documents create activity, not deliverability. The chain grows longer, the commission grid grows wider, and nobody can answer the only questions that matter: who owns the product, who controls it, and how is it being paid.
If you need a baseline for how real trade finance works, start with our explanation of what Trade Finance is
and review How It Works.
If a petroleum pitch cannot survive that framework, it is not financeable.
Why These Deals Do Not Close
They do not close because they fail basic underwriting and compliance at the first gate. Even a motivated lender cannot finance a phantom. The moment you ask for verifiable seller authority, traceable custody, and a workable payment structure, the story collapses into delays, excuses, and “confidentiality” claims.
Fast Screen: What We Look for in 15 Minutes
We do not need twenty red flags. A few checks usually settle it quickly.
Seller authority
Who is the principal seller, and can they prove authority over the allocation and the terminal or vessel? If the answer is a broker chain, the file is dead.
Traceable custody
Can you tie the product to a real terminal or vessel position with independent survey and verifiable references? If not, there is no cargo.
Payment mechanics
Is there a bankable settlement structure, aligned with documentary requirements and compliance? If the “procedure” is a fantasy platform, it will not clear.
Compliance reality
Are parties willing to provide KYC, sanctions screening, and documentation promptly? If they resist, they know the file cannot survive review.
Stay Grounded: Demand Substance
Real petroleum trade relies on verifiable assets, logistics that can be audited, and payment mechanisms that banks and counterparties accept. If you are not dealing with principals, independent survey, and a clean settlement path, you are not in the supply chain. You are consuming theatre.
If you are serious about financing a legitimate transaction, read our procedure
and submit a structured request through our Trade Finance
page so we can assess bankability and revert with a feasibility view.
Request Trade Finance Support
Submit your transaction details for an initial feasibility review focused on verifiable cargo, counterparty credibility, and bankable settlement.
Submit a Trade Finance Request
Disclaimer: This page is for general information only. It does not constitute legal, tax, regulatory, investment, or credit advice. Financely is not a bank, insurer, broker-dealer, or investment adviser. Any financing or instrument issuance is provided solely by third-party counterparties under their own approvals and documentation. All engagements are subject to eligibility, full KYC and AML review, sanctions screening, credit approval, and execution of formal agreements.