How To Start A Physical Commodity Trading Business

How To Start A Physical Commodity Trading Business

How To Start A Physical Commodity Trading Business

Physical commodity trading is the business of buying, transporting, storing, and delivering real goods for a margin that survives freight, storage, financing, and risk. Banks and private lenders expect real sponsor equity. As a baseline, plan for a minimum operating equity of USD 500,000. In some jurisdictions and with certain banks, the practical floor is USD 2–5 million. On individual transactions, most lenders expect the trader to contribute approximately 20 to 40 percent equity, with the balance funded by letters of credit, receivables finance, inventory lines, or prepayment structures. This guide sets out strategy, capital, instruments, logistics, controls, and a first-90-days plan.

Why Trade Physical Commodities

  • Geographical Arbitrage. Buy in surplus markets and sell into deficit markets where the netback supports a clean spread.
  • Time Arbitrage. Carry inventory when the forward curve covers storage, financing, and loss factors, then sell later at a better effective price.
  • Operational Edge. Improve margin with cleaner contracts, fewer discrepancies, and tighter logistics.
  • Risk Transfer. Use futures, options, and swaps to protect quoted gross margin while the cargo moves.

Risk is material. A price shock, counterparty failure, or a single operational mistake can erase equity. You succeed by engineering the trade end to end and enforcing controls you actually follow.

Steps To Launch A Commodity Trading Business

1

Market Selection And Strategy

Choose one product family and two lanes you understand. Define suppliers, buyers, specifications, Incoterms, seasonality, and a target spread after all costs and financing.

2

Entity, Licensing, And Governance

Incorporate with a clear ownership chart. Secure trading, import, and export permissions where required. Adopt a written risk policy, authority limits, and dual approvals for payments and hedging.

3

Capital Plan And Financing Stack

Plan sponsor equity and working capital. Add instruments that reduce cash lock-up: documentary letters of credit, standby letters of credit for performance or payment, receivables finance, payables programs, inventory lines, and prepayment linked to offtake.

4

Risk Management And Hedging

Map price, basis, counterparty, logistics, and currency risk from contract to cash. Hedge on order, not after shipment. Keep draw conditions objective in any standby undertakings.

5

Logistics, Storage, And Insurance

Pre-book freight where sensible, select storage that preserves quality, and place cargo and liability cover that matches Incoterms. Align the finance route with the settlement path.

6

Compliance And Counterparty Checks

Screen all parties for sanctions and adverse media. Verify beneficial owners. Apply trade-based money laundering controls at onboarding and for each shipment.

Capital And Equity Requirements Banks Expect

Minimum Operating Equity
A practical baseline is USD 500,000 of unencumbered equity to fund setup, buffers, and first trades. In some jurisdictions or with certain banks, the informal floor is USD 2–5 million to qualify for meaningful limits.
Equity Per Transaction
Expect to contribute 20 to 40 percent equity to each deal. The percentage depends on product volatility, tenor, counterparty quality, and whether the deal is supported by confirmations or credit insurance.
Drivers Of The Equity Ask
Issuer rating and country risk. Documentary standards and discrepancy history. Storage and transport risks. Liquidity of the commodity. Hedge quality and basis risk. Proven cash conversion.

Illustrative Equity Needs By Deal Size

Total Deal Size Equity At 20% Equity At 40% Notes
USD 1,000,000 USD 200,000 USD 400,000 Often feasible with confirmed letters of credit or insured receivables.
USD 2,500,000 USD 500,000 USD 1,000,000 This tier aligns with the minimum operating equity baseline.
USD 5,000,000 USD 1,000,000 USD 2,000,000 Higher equity share if storage or tenor introduces added risk.
USD 10,000,000 USD 2,000,000 USD 4,000,000 Requires strong counterparties and clean documentary performance.

These figures are illustrative. Final equity asks are set by the lender after reviewing trading history, documentary standards, hedging policy, counterparty quality, and the availability of confirmations or insurance wraps.

Financing Instruments That Protect Equity

Documentary Letter Of Credit
Settle against compliant documents. Add confirmation when issuer or country risk sits outside policy.
Standby Letter Of Credit
Backstop payment or performance under ISP98 or UCP 600 standby rules. Keep draw conditions objective and limited.
Receivables Finance And Payables Programs
Sell invoices with credit insurance or extend supplier terms through buyer programs to reduce cash gaps.
UPAS And Usance Structures
Pay the seller at sight while the buyer pays at maturity. Useful where the seller needs cash and the buyer needs time.
Prepayment And Inventory Lines
Fund production or stock with monitored storage, inspections, and named loss payees. Tight reporting can reduce the equity ask.
Insurance Wraps
Use trade credit insurance and cargo policies with clear claims mechanics. Where accepted, wraps can lower lender haircuts.

Risk Controls And Hedging Discipline

  • Price And Basis. Use futures, options, or swaps that match the delivered specification and location to protect margin from trade date to delivery.
  • Counterparty. Confirm letters of credit when needed. Use credit insurance where policies permit assignment of proceeds and direct loss payee language.
  • Operational. Lock inspection windows and document templates. Track bank holidays and cutoffs in the reimbursement path.
  • FX. Fix currency exposure on order. Match hedge settlement dates to expected cash flows.

Logistics And Operations

  • Shipping. Compare voyage and time charter options. For containers, secure slots early and monitor roll risk.
  • Storage. Select tanks, silos, or warehouses with the right controls. Monitor ullage, shrinkage, and quality loss and price them into the spread.
  • Documentation. Mirror the sale contract in every field of the letter of credit. Keep presentation periods realistic and originals count correct.
  • Insurance. Place cargo and liability cover that matches Incoterms. Confirm surveyor availability along the route before loading.

Compliance And Trade-Based Money Laundering Controls

Onboarding Controls
  • Identify beneficial owners and verify directors
  • Screen for sanctions and adverse media
  • Check trade routes and goods against restrictions
Transaction Controls
  • Validate price against market benchmarks
  • Match quantities and specifications to transport documents
  • Confirm that funds flow and goods flow are consistent and traceable

Your First 90 Days

  1. Weeks 1 to 2. Incorporate, open bank and brokerage accounts, choose a product and two lanes, and prepare standard contracts and document templates.
  2. Weeks 3 to 6. Secure one supplier and one buyer with back-to-back terms. Line up letters of credit, confirmations if needed, or insured receivables.
  3. Weeks 7 to 10. Execute a small, clean shipment to prove the process. Record timing, costs, variances, and issues.
  4. Weeks 11 to 13. Review performance. Refine wording, hedging rules, logistics partners, and the equity plan based on evidence.

Set Up Financing And An Equity Plan That Banks Will Fund

Share your product, route, transaction size, intended equity contribution, and counterparties. We will propose a financing stack and provide draft wording for letters of credit and guarantees.

Request Structured Commodity Finance Support

Trading commodities carries material risk. Equity and limit decisions remain with lenders after full KYC, AML, sanctions screening, credit review, and documentation. This page does not constitute legal advice or a commitment to lend, issue, confirm, or insure.

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