Financely structures, underwrites, and distributes trade finance facilities for real operating companies. We take your trade flows, contracts, and counterparties, turn them into lender-grade structures, and run a targeted process with specialist banks and private credit funds. If you have recurring trades and a proper data room, we help you move from “interesting opportunity” to a file that serious lenders can approve.
Engagement fee: USD 5,000 flat, payable on mandate signature, non-refundable.
For operating companies that want a lender-grade structure and a direct view on bankability before a full raise.
No lender outreach at this stage; this is the filter that tells you if the trade merits a full underwriting and distribution process.
Mandate retainer (by target facility size):
5–25M USD: retainer USD 25,000
25–50M USD: retainer USD 50,000
Above 50M USD: retainer on quote.
Success fee (waterfall on the funded amount):
3.0% on the first USD 10M
2.5% on the next USD 15M (from 10M to 25M)
2.0% on the next USD 25M (from 25M to 50M)
Above USD 50M: success fee on quote.
Fees are blended, not cliff-based: a USD 12M facility pays 3.0% on the first 10M and 2.5% on the remaining 2M.
Available only for real operating businesses with contracts, a prepared data room, and structures that pass our initial screen. All mandates are best-efforts and subject to KYC/AML, sanctions checks, and independent lender approvals.
This FAQ explains how our trade finance structuring, underwriting and distribution mandates work, who they are for, and what sponsors should have in place before engaging us. It is written for CEOs, CFOs and trading teams who want a serious, bank-grade process rather than vague conversations.
Option 1 is a pure structuring mandate. You pay a flat USD 5,000 to have your trade flows, contracts and counterparties analysed and converted into a lender-grade structure with a concise memo, a short term sheet outline and a readiness checklist. There is no lender outreach, no underwriting and no distribution work at this stage. It is the filter that tells you whether the trade is bankable and what would need to change.
Option 2 is a full execution mandate. We take a defined structure that passes our screen and move into underwriting, lender pack preparation and a controlled distribution process across relevant banks, credit funds and LPs. This involves deeper diligence, proper lender materials, targeted outreach and support through credit approvals and first drawdown. In simple terms: Option 1 answers “is this bankable and how?”, Option 2 is “get this funded if it deserves to be funded.”
The mandate retainer is based on the target facility size: USD 25,000 for 5–25M USD, USD 50,000 for 25–50M USD, and a quoted retainer for facilities above 50M USD. The retainer is paid once, on mandate signature, and covers structuring refinement, underwriting work, lender materials and process management through the raise. It is not credited against success fees.
The success fee is applied as a true waterfall on the funded amount, not as a cliff at a single number. We charge 3.0% on the first USD 10M, 2.5% on the next USD 15M (10–25M), and 2.0% on the next USD 25M (25–50M). Amounts above USD 50M are priced on quote. For example, a USD 12M facility pays 3.0% on the first 10M and 2.5% on the remaining 2M. This avoids the absurd situation where one extra dollar of capacity suddenly pushes you into a completely different fee level.
We work with real operating businesses and trading houses that move physical goods and have documented trade flows. Typical sectors include commodities and energy-related products, soft commodities and agriculture, FMCG and consumer goods, and industrial equipment or machinery tied to credible purchase orders. The common thread is that goods, counterparties and cash flows can be verified.
We are not a fit for “concept” deals, blocked-funds stories, fake KTTs, leased instruments or anything that cannot be tied back to actual contracts and shipments. If there is no data room, no financials, no real counterparties and no willingness to open the books, the mandate will be declined. Our clients are usually mid-market sponsors and corporates who already trade at scale and want to professionalise their funding stack.
The pricing grid is designed for target facilities from roughly 5M USD up to 50M USD, with larger raises priced individually. Below 5M USD, the unit economics of a full underwriting and distribution process become hard to justify for both sides, unless the deal is a pilot for a much larger programme.
For smaller tickets we may still complete Option 1 structuring if the sponsor wants a clear view on bankability and a proper term sheet outline, but we will be direct if the raise is too small to support a full Option 2 mandate. The goal is to avoid situations where you pay for a capital raise that will never get real attention from institutional lenders because the ticket is simply too small.
Before we start, we expect a basic data room: corporate documents, ownership structure, recent financial statements, key trade contracts, KYC information, and a clear summary of the trade flows you want financed. Without this, structuring is guesswork and underwriting becomes a waste of time. We will also ask you blunt questions about margins, counterparty quality, logistics and past performance; if the answers are vague, the deal will stall.
Funding is never guaranteed. Every mandate is best efforts and subject to KYC and AML checks, sanctions screening, lender risk appetite, market conditions and the sponsor’s behaviour during the process. What you are buying is a disciplined, bank-grade structuring and distribution process that gives the deal a fair hearing with the right lenders. If we think the probability of funding is too low, we would rather stop at Option 1 structuring or decline the engagement than drag you through a cosmetic “beauty parade” that goes nowhere.
Financely advises growth-focused businesses on accessing capital by introducing their opportunities to professional investors. Financely is not a securities broker or dealer. Where appropriate, engagements are coordinated with regulated broker-dealers, investment banks, legal counsel, and other specialists.
Financely does not solicit, offer, or accept orders to buy or sell securities and makes no assurance regarding capital-raising outcomes.
Services are strictly business-to-business. Financely does not provide personal finance, consumer credit, or retail advisory services.
Advisory services are reserved for post-revenue companies that recognize the time and resources required for professional underwriting.
All mandates start with an RFQ. We review submissions, issue a brief Go/No-Go memo, and where bankable, release a Term Sheet that leads to funding. We arrange capital across Senior Secured, Unitranche, Second Lien/Mezzanine, Preferred Equity, and Gap Solutions. We do not process deals by email or chat.
Letters of Credit, Standby LCs, Confirmations, Receivables Finance, and Inventory Lines with control.
Funding arranged for trade flows with instruments sized to your cycle and aligned to delivery and settlement.
Move forward to secure working capital and keep goods moving. Submit the RFQ to start underwriting for funding.
Limited or non-recourse structures for energy and infrastructure with lender-ready materials.
Funding solutions aligned to project cash flows with credible covenants and conditions to reach notice to proceed.
Advance the file to termable status. Submit the RFQ so we can underwrite and secure funding.
Debt and Preferred solutions anchored on cash flow, Quality of Earnings, and clear closing mechanics.
Funding across senior, unitranche, and preferred to match stable cash flows and acquisition timelines.
Get financed on workable terms for closing. Submit the RFQ to start underwriting.
Acquisition, development, bridge, and refinance with lender-ready packs and third-party reports managed.
Funding calibrated to DSCR, leverage, and tenancy with terms designed to close.
Move to a financeable package. Submit the RFQ to initiate underwriting for funding.
KYC and Source of Funds required. Engagements are best-efforts and subject to underwriting. Preference for operating companies with meaningful revenue. See our FAQ and Procedure.
Financely Inc. (“Financely”) provides corporate-finance advice and is wholly owned by Aurora Bay Trust, a trust formed under Bahamian law, together with its authorized affiliates. Depending on deal structure, jurisdiction, and local rules, engagements may be carried out through Financely Group LLC, a non-deposit-taking, non-banking financial company; Ashford Capital Advisory LLC; or another related entity.
Financely and its affiliates are not registered as securities broker-dealers and do not execute securities transactions or hold client funds or securities. When a mandate involves the purchase or sale of securities and a registered intermediary is required, any orders are introduced to and executed by one or more independent U.S. broker-dealers registered with the SEC and FINRA. Those broker-dealers are solely responsible for trade execution, custody, and related regulatory obligations. Nothing in this material constitutes an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell any security or to engage in any specific transaction. Before engaging Financely Group LLC, Ashford Capital Advisory LLC, or any affiliate, you are responsible for confirming that such engagement complies with your own legal, regulatory, tax, and other requirements. In the United States, certain advisory activities may be conducted in reliance on exemptions available under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, including the “foreign private adviser” exemption where applicable. Our services and regulatory status may vary by jurisdiction and by transaction type.
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