We provide lender-ready capital raise packaging and debt or equity placement support for business owners and buyers looking to secure serious term sheets and close funding on a defined timeline.
For business owners and acquirers pursuing private debt submit your deal for review. We revert within one working day with next steps and either a quote for our services.
Finance your next trade, project or acquisition.
Debt structuring, targeted lender outreach and negotiation support through closing.
Paid advisory. Upfront retainer applies.
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Your supplier will not ship without a standby letter of credit. The project owner will not sign without a performance guarantee. Your bank says the credit committee meets next month, or it has already said no. Every week the instrument is missing, the contract sits unsigned and the margin sits with someone else.
Financely structures your application for an SBLC, bank guarantee or documentary letter of credit and places it with issuing banks, trade finance houses and surety providers that can issue on your behalf, in favour of your beneficiary, on wording the beneficiary will accept.
Instruments that move cargo, contracts and projects
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The shortfall is structural, not personal. The Asian Development Bank's 2025 Global Trade Finance Gap Survey estimated unmet demand for trade finance at USD 2.5 trillion, about 10% of global trade, with rejection rates of 41% for SMEs and 40% for mid-cap and large corporates.
Share of global trade without the financing it needs
About 10% of global trade, the USD 2.5tn gap
About 90% financed or self-funded
Trade finance applications rejected, by applicant size
Size no longer protects you. Four in ten applications are declined either way, which makes the quality of the file the deciding factor.
Source: Asian Development Bank, Global Trade Finance Gap Survey, 2025.
Banks like the asset class. The ICC Trade Register has consistently shown low default rates for these products. Its 2018 report put the obligor-weighted default rate for performance guarantees, which include standby letters of credit, at 0.47% on average. Issuers want to say yes. What they decline is a file they cannot approve.
Most rejections come from the file. Thin or unaudited financials, a transaction flow nobody has written down, guarantee wording the issuer's legal team will not sign, a beneficiary bank outside the issuer's correspondent network, or a collateral offer the credit committee cannot value. Each of these is fixable before you apply. After a rejection, it is harder.
This service is for operating companies with a real counterparty, a real contract and a real deadline. If one of these situations sounds like yours, you are in the right place.
Your supplier wants a documentary letter of credit or an SBLC before releasing goods on open account terms. We structure the facility so your bank, or a better one, can issue on the supplier's timetable.
Tenders and contracts call for bid bonds, performance guarantees, advance payment guarantees and retention guarantees. We line up issuers and surety providers that can carry the exposure without freezing all your working capital.
Offtake and supply contracts often require a payment instrument opened before the first cargo. We build the trade flow and credit case issuers need, alongside our structured trade and commodity finance advisory.
Lenders, landlords and offtakers ask for payment guarantees, debt service support or completion backing. We fit the instrument into the wider capital structure as part of our project finance advisory.
On construction and infrastructure work, the bid bond and performance guarantee are often the last items standing between a signed contract and a lost tender. Employers and project owners set the wording, the amount and the deadline. Contractors who cannot deliver the instrument on time lose the award to someone who can.
The same logic applies to importers and traders. A supplier that receives a confirmed instrument ships first. A supplier still waiting on wording ships to someone else.
Read this before you apply. A bank instrument is a credit exposure for whoever issues it. Issuers only issue for an applicant they can underwrite, backed by a credit line, cash margin, asset collateral, a surety line or a counter-guarantee. Financely does not lease, rent or sell instruments. If your transaction depends on an instrument with no credit or collateral behind it, this service is not a fit, and we will tell you so at the review stage.
Beneficiaries often ask for "an SBLC" when their contract actually calls for a demand guarantee, or the reverse. Getting the instrument type and governing rules right first saves weeks of back and forth on wording.
| Standby letter of credit (SBLC) | Bank guarantee (BG) | Documentary letter of credit (DLC) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Backstop if you fail to pay or perform | Backstop for performance, payment, bids or advances | Primary payment method for a shipment |
| Usual rules | ISP98 or UCP 600 | URDG 758 or local law | UCP 600 |
| Usual SWIFT message | MT760 | MT760 | MT700 |
| When it pays out | On a compliant demand after a default | On a compliant demand under the guarantee terms | On presentation of compliant shipping documents |
| Typical beneficiary | Suppliers, lenders, landlords | Project owners, employers, government buyers | Exporters and sellers of goods |
Two phases. A short paid review tells you whether your instrument can be issued and how. If it can, a fixed engagement takes it from wording to transmission.
1. Wording review. We read your contract and the beneficiary's required format, then confirm instrument type, governing rules, amount, expiry, claim conditions and the SWIFT fields the beneficiary's bank expects. Wording problems are flagged now, not after the issuer's legal review.
2. Credit and collateral structuring. We work out what an issuer can underwrite for you. That might be an unsecured line for a strong balance sheet, a reduced cash margin, receivables or inventory as security, a surety line, or a counter-guarantee from a parent or a bank you already use.
3. Issuer-ready credit package. We prepare the credit memo, financial analysis, transaction flow, sources of repayment, KYC file, draft instrument text and a data room, so an issuer's credit and compliance teams can review in one pass.
4. Issuer placement. We approach issuers from Financely's network of 12,700+ verified capital providers that match your jurisdiction, instrument size, tenor and beneficiary bank, and manage every question that comes back.
5. Terms comparison and issuance support. We compare issuance commission, collateral requirements and charges across offers, coordinate final wording between issuer and beneficiary, and stay on the file until the instrument is transmitted.
Typical engagement timeline
Indicative only. Simple files with an existing banking relationship move faster. Issuer credit committees set the final pace.
Four parties, clear roles. Financely never holds the instrument, never receives the issuer's commission and never sits in the payment chain between you and your beneficiary.
Applicant pays Financely Instrument Review and fixed Structuring Retainer
Applicant pays Issuer Issuance commission, margin and bank charges, directly
Issuer sends to Beneficiary The instrument, via SWIFT through the beneficiary's bank
Step one is an Instrument Review, USD 500. A senior structurer reviews your beneficiary's requirement, your financials and your collateral position, and returns a written estimate with the issuance route we recommend and a fixed price for the full engagement. The USD 500 is credited in full against your Structuring Retainer if you go ahead.
Step two is a fixed Structuring Retainer. One amount, agreed in writing, paid once when you sign the estimate. No milestones, no hourly billing and no surprises. It covers steps 1 to 5 above.
Why the work is paid at the start
On a typical file that adds up to 60 to 120 professional hours over three to eight weeks. Those same people could spend that time on mandates that are already paid. The credit decision belongs to the issuer, not to Financely, so our fee pays for the work rather than for an outcome nobody can honestly promise.
What you pay the issuer. Issuance commission, any cash margin and bank charges are agreed directly between you and the issuing institution and paid to them, never through Financely.
Missing something? Send what you have and we will tell you what matters.
Request a quote and start with a USD 500 Instrument Review. You get a clear answer on whether your instrument can be issued, which route gets you there, and a fixed price for the full engagement, with the review fee credited back if you proceed.
Your counterparty has a deadline. A structured file is usually the difference between an issuer saying yes this month and saying no next quarter.
No. Financely is an advisory and arranging firm. We structure your application and place it with banks, trade finance houses and surety providers that issue the instrument in your name, in favour of your beneficiary.
Sometimes. Applicants with strong financials and existing banking relationships can obtain unsecured or partly secured instruments. Others will need cash margin, asset security, a surety line or a counter-guarantee. The Instrument Review tells you which applies to you before you commit to the full engagement.
It depends on the issuer's credit process, your documents and how quickly the beneficiary agrees wording. Once an issuer approves and the wording is final, transmission over SWIFT is quick. The full process typically runs from a few weeks to a few months. No timeline is guaranteed.
There are three parts. The USD 500 Instrument Review, credited against the retainer. A fixed, one-off Structuring Retainer set out in your estimate. And the issuer's own commission and charges, which you agree and pay directly with the issuing institution.
Yes. We review the beneficiary's text against the applicable rules, flag clauses issuers commonly refuse, and negotiate workable wording before the application goes to credit.
We work with applicants worldwide, subject to KYC and sanctions screening. Some jurisdictions have fewer willing issuers, which affects route and timing, and the Instrument Review will flag this early.
This page is general information only and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Financely is an advisory and arranging firm. It is not a bank, lender, issuer or broker-dealer and does not issue, lease or sell financial instruments. Any instrument is issued solely by a third-party institution and is subject to its underwriting, due diligence, KYC, credit approval, documentation and conditions precedent. No issuance, outcome, pricing or timeline is guaranteed.
Submit your deal using our secure intake form, and receive a quote within 1-3 business days. Existing clients can connect with their relationship manager through our secure web portal.
All submissions are
promptly reviewed, and all communications are conducted through the intake form or the client portal for a seamless and secure process.
Thank you for considering working with us. A nominal fee of US$500 is required upon completion of each form. This fee covers the time and effort we invest in reviewing your submission and crafting a thorough proposal. We receive numerous inquiries and prioritize those that carry this fee, ensuring serious applicants receive prompt attention.
Tap into solutions like letters of credit, bank guarantees, and payment facilitation. We address the challenge of global transaction risk through structured strategies that foster cross-border growth. Complete the form to unlock streamlined funding aligned with your commercial objectives.
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Submit a RequestFinancely assists banks facing Basel III pressures by distributing trade finance deals and providing collateral for letters of credit. We reduce capital burdens while preserving client relationships and fostering service expansion. Submit your request to optimize your trade finance offerings.
Submit a RequestOnce we receive your submission, our team will review your information to determine feasibility. If eligible, you will receive a proposal or term sheet within 1–3 business days. Visit our FAQ and Procedure pages for more information.
Disclaimer: Financely provides financing based on due diligence and feasibility. Approval is not guaranteed, and past performance does not predict future outcomes. All terms are subject to review. Financely primarily assists with structuring and distribution. Qualified parties carry out the project if the client approves the proposal.