Trade Finance Structuring & Placement
Importers, exporters, manufacturers, and commodity traders do not lose transactions because trade finance is unavailable.
They lose transactions because credit files are incomplete, collateral and controls are undefined, and the deal is presented in a way a risk team cannot sign.
If you have real flows, real counterparties, and verifiable documents, trade finance is still executable.
Financely works on the sponsor side.
We take your contracts, shipment history, and operating reality, then structure lender-ready facilities and place them with regulated banks and private credit providers.
Where collateral is incomplete, we focus on controls, eligibility criteria, and gap solutions that lenders actually recognize.
We support post revenue companies seeking practical access to
letters of credit and working capital facilities
,
including receivables, inventory, and borrowing base structures.
If the file is not bankable, we will say so early. If it is bankable, we build it to move through credit and close.
Who This Service Is For
This mandate is for operating companies with control over goods and cash flows, not for brokers, paper traders, or intermediaries with no execution ability.
Typical clients include:
- Commodity traders, distributors, and processors with repeat flows and documented shipment history.
- Manufacturers importing raw materials or exporting finished goods with stable counterparties.
- Trading subsidiaries that require ring-fenced facilities separate from group balance sheet funding.
If you are raising capital for a broader business transaction (acquisition, recapitalization, or asset-backed line), you may be better served by our private credit
, business acquisition financing
,
or asset-based lending
processes.
Instruments And Structures We Place
Core Trade Finance Products
- Import and export letters of credit, including confirmed LCs, UPAS structures, and LC discounting where supported.
- Standby letters of credit when counterparties accept standby formats for performance or payment security.
- Receivables purchase and discounting, including insured receivables where eligible.
- Inventory lines and warehouse finance where collateral and control are acceptable to lenders.
If your requirement is SBLC-led execution, pair this page with our Structured Trade Finance
overview to understand control points and lender appetite.
Structured Facilities
- Borrowing base facilities referencing eligible receivables and inventory under defined advance rates.
- Pre-export facilities for producers with credible offtake, shipments, and controllable collections.
- Blended bank and private credit structures where part of the risk is funded by credit funds rather than one bank.
Every structure is built around your actual flow of goods, documents, and cash, not theoretical products your counterparty will reject.
What We Need To Underwrite And Package Your File
A clean file answers the first ten questions a credit officer asks before a deal even reaches committee.
At minimum, we require:
- Company documents and ownership details that are verifiable and consistent.
- Financial statements and recent bank statements or management accounts where applicable.
- Trade evidence: contracts, invoices, shipping docs, and a short summary of counterparties and settlement terms.
- Clarity on collateral and controls, including where goods sit, how title transfers, and how collections are received.
How Our Process Works
1. RFQ And Feasibility Review
You submit an RFQ with trade flows, requested facility size, counterparties, and a summary of collateral.
We run an initial feasibility screen and give a direct view on what is realistic and what will fail.
2. File Preparation And Structuring
Once engaged, we build a lender-ready package that typically includes a credit memo, trade and cash cycle analysis, a draft term sheet, and a controls map.
This is where weak files become fundable, or get ruled out quickly without wasting months.
3. Targeted Placement And Feedback Loop
We circulate the structured file to suitable lenders on a best efforts basis, capture feedback, and iterate where it improves execution.
Our aim is to avoid mass emailing and keep your information controlled.
4. Term Sheet Comparison And Closing Support
When terms arrive, we help compare pricing, covenants, conditions precedent, collateral mechanics, and operational controls.
Facilities are documented and funded directly between you and the lender under the lender’s license and documentation.
Typical Reasons Deals Fail
Most failures are not about “no lenders”. They are about controllability and proof.
- Unverifiable counterparties or contracts that do not match real shipment behavior.
- Weak document trails, missing shipping evidence, or inconsistent invoicing and settlement terms.
- Collateral that cannot be controlled or verified, including unclear title and storage arrangements.
- Sanctions or compliance risk in counterparties, routes, beneficial ownership, or payment chain.
- Applicants seeking facilities for third-party flows they do not control.
Pricing And Engagement Model
Trade finance mandates require analysis, structuring, and controlled placement.
We charge a retainer to cover file preparation and execution work, then a success fee payable only when you close a facility from our workstream.
- Retainer aligned with complexity and target facility size, payable on engagement and not conditional on closing.
- Success fee typically in the one to three percent range of the funded amount, subject to a minimum.
- Third party costs such as legal, audit, collateral inspections, and KYC checks are for the account of the client unless agreed otherwise.
If you want a capital process that is broader than trade flows alone, review our asset-based lending
and private credit
pages for adjacent structures.
FAQ
Do you provide direct loans or issue letters of credit?
No. Financely is not a bank and does not issue letters of credit or lend from its own balance sheet.
Facilities are provided by regulated third-party institutions under their own licenses, approvals, and documentation.
What is the minimum profile that usually works for trade finance?
Repeat flows, real shipment evidence, credible counterparties, and a controllable structure.
Files without documentation or with purely brokered flows tend to fail quickly.
Can you help if we do not have full collateral?
Sometimes. The fix is usually controls and structure: eligibility definitions, collections control, inventory oversight, and a facility design that matches your cash cycle.
In some cases, private credit participation can bridge gaps when a bank alone will not.
See private credit financing.
How long does it take to get terms?
Timing depends on KYC readiness, document quality, collateral controllability, and lender cycle times.
Strong files move faster. First-time applicants often take longer because compliance and credit have to be built from scratch.
Do you work on a best efforts basis?
Yes. No one can force a lender to approve a file.
Our job is to make your case credit-ready and place it with the right desks so it can be assessed properly and quickly.
Will you share our data room widely?
No. Placement is controlled and targeted.
We only share the package with relevant counterparties and track feedback so you have a clear view of market response.
Request Trade Finance Structuring Support
If your company has real trade flows and you need working capital, letters of credit, or structured trade facilities from banks and private credit lenders, submit your RFQ and core documents.
We will assess whether a trade finance structuring and placement mandate makes sense for your business.
Submit Trade Finance RFQ
Disclaimer: Financely is a corporate finance advisory platform. We are not a bank, lender, broker dealer, or deposit taker and we do not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. Any facility described on this page is provided, if approved, by regulated third party institutions under their own licences, terms, and documentation. All mandates are conducted on a best efforts basis and are subject to KYC, AML, sanctions screening, and internal approval. Nothing on this page is a commitment to lend or a guarantee that funding will be obtained.