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Prepayment vs pre-export finance comes down to who funds you and who carries the risk. In a prepayment, your buyer advances cash and is repaid in goods. In pre-export finance, a bank or fund lends to you and is repaid from the buyer's payment for the exports.
Both put cash in an exporter's hands before shipment. The right choice depends on your buyers, your balance sheet and how much pricing freedom you want to keep.
| Prepayment | Pre-export finance | |
|---|---|---|
| Who funds | The buyer or offtaker, often refinanced by its banks | A bank, fund or syndicate |
| Repaid by | Delivery of the product | Export proceeds paid into a controlled account |
| Who carries the risk | The buyer | The lender, secured on contracts and proceeds |
| Pricing freedom | Limited, volumes are committed to one buyer | Higher, the exporter can sell to acceptable buyers |
| Wins when | A strong buyer wants secure supply | The exporter has the track record to borrow in its own name |
Read more on each structure in prepayment finance in commodity trading and pre-export finance for commodity producers.
Do you have a large buyer willing to fund you in exchange for product?
How strong is your balance sheet and audit history?
Do you want to keep pricing freedom and sell to the best bidder?
How large is the funding need?
Indicative only. The final structure depends on lenders, buyers and the jurisdiction.
In Ghana, COCOBOD's model since 2023 requires traders to deposit at least 60% of forward contract value at the start of the season, replacing the pre-export syndicated loan that funded purchases for over three decades. International buyers advanced more than USD 4 billion for 2025/26, according to Food Business MEA. In practice, Ghanaian cocoa now runs on buyer prepayment, while private exporters elsewhere still use pre-export facilities.
Cooperatives and washing stations need cash at harvest. Roasters and importers often prepay against contracts, while larger exporters use pre-export or warehouse-backed lines from banks and specialist funds.
A short buying season and fast price moves make warehouse-backed pre-export finance common, with raw nuts stored under collateral management until shipment to processing hubs in Asia.
Traders prepay miners for concentrate and cathode offtake. In 2026, GTR reported Mercuria prepayment facilities of USD 100 million for a Congolese copper mine and USD 250 million for a Bulgarian copper mine. Large producers also raise syndicated pre-export facilities from banks.
Send your commodity, volumes, buyers and funding need. Financely is an advisor and arranger, not a lender, and we will structure the option that fits and place it with offtakers, banks or funds through our structured commodity finance service.
In a prepayment, the buyer advances cash to the exporter and is repaid in goods. In pre-export finance, a bank or fund lends to the exporter and is repaid from the export proceeds paid by the buyer into a controlled account.
The buyer, or the banks that fund the buyer's prepayment. The exporter's main obligation is to deliver the product.
It depends. Prepayment can look cheaper because the cost is built into the purchase price, while pre-export finance carries explicit interest and fees but leaves the exporter free to sell at market.
Offtake or sales contracts, production or sourcing records, export licences, audited accounts, KYC, insurance, and the security package over the goods and proceeds.
No. Financely is an advisor and arranger. We structure prepayment and pre-export facilities and place them with offtakers, banks and funds.
Figures are taken from the linked publications. This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax or investment advice. Financely is an advisory and arranging firm, not a bank, lender or broker-dealer. Any financing is subject to the financing counterparty's underwriting, due diligence, credit approval and documentation.