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 or equity, submit your deal for review. We revert within one working day with next steps and either a quote for our services.
For pre-submission discussions, we offer paid consultations. To initiate underwriting and lender outreach, submit the deal.
Trade Finance Workflow
Trade finance is not “send a deck and hope.” Lenders fund verified trades with document discipline, control over goods or cash, and clean compliance.
This guide explains the structured workflow we use to move from a trade submission to written outcomes, then to funded draws where the file supports it. If you want the broader context on trade products, see Trade Finance Instruments and What Is Trade Finance.
If you want this workflow applied to your transaction, submit your deal here: Submit Your Deal.
Most “ready to fund” trade deals fail for predictable reasons. The trade is not verifiable, the documents conflict, the control set is vague, or the counterparties and compliance profile do not pass screening. Money does not move on charisma. It moves when a credit team can audit the trade, map the risk, and enforce controls without improvising.
Reality check: underwriting is trade verification plus control verification. If either side is weak, pricing widens or the deal is declined. For a deeper playbook, see Exact Process to Raise Trade Finance From Lenders.
“Structured” is not a buzzword. It means the facility is designed around the trade cycle and protected by enforceable controls that match the real movement of goods and cash. That can include letters of credit, standby support, receivables finance, borrowing base structures, inventory finance, and purchase order finance. The right choice depends on what is being traded, who pays, when cash is received, and what can be monitored.
If your deal uses documentary credits, start with Documentary Letters of Credit and for collections-based settlement see Documentary Collections.
Our workflow is built for speed and auditability. The objective is simple: a lender-ready file that produces written decisions, then a clean path through conditions precedent so funds can move when the trade requires it. For the deliverables and positioning of our underwriting work, see Trade Finance Structuring and Deal Underwriting and Trade Finance Deal Structuring and Lender Introductions.
We screen for commercial reality, compliance viability, and structural fit. This is where bad assumptions get removed early so the mandate does not waste weeks.
Trade finance runs on documents. We build a clean index and ensure one definitive version of each item. Credit teams move faster when the file is stable.
We choose the structure that fits the trade and can be enforced. The goal is to align collateral, monitoring, and reporting with what is realistic.
We package the mandate so a lender can underwrite and circulate internally without rewriting your story. This is where approvals are won.
We submit to matched capital providers, manage Q&A with version control, and drive to written outcomes. Once term sheets land, we support the close plan so draws are not blocked by avoidable conditions.
Funding is a draw process tied to documents and controls. A facility can be approved, yet draws fail if shipments, inspections, titles, and collections controls are not executed cleanly.
Timelines depend on how complete the file is and how quickly counterparties answer diligence. Use the table below as a practical pacing guide for routine trade transactions with standard document sets.
| Phase | Typical Timing | Primary Output | What Commonly Slows It Down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intake and Fit Screen | 1 to 3 business days after complete submission | Gap list, structure direction, controls outline | Missing counterparty details, unclear payment path, incomplete KYB |
| Packaging | 5 to 12 business days | Underwriting memo, data room index, draft parameters | Conflicting contract drafts, weak shipping evidence, no SOPs |
| Decisioning | 10 to 25 business days | Written term sheets or written declines | Late answers to diligence, unverifiable trade claims, compliance flags |
| Documentation | 2 to 6 weeks | Definitive legal docs, accounts, security, CP list | Local filings, insurance endorsements, account control set up |
| Funding and Draws | Deal-specific | Funded draws tied to shipment and controls | Document discrepancies, inspection gaps, collection control failures |
The fastest route is a complete submission. If you want a pre-built checklist to self-audit your file, see Lender Checklist for Trade Finance Deals and the platform process page at How It Works.
Trade finance facilities live or die by controls. Below are common controls and what they protect. If you trade physical commodities, you may also find this useful: Borrowing Base Facilities for Physical Commodity Traders and Metals Trade Finance Advisory.
| Control | What It Prevents | How It Is Evidenced |
|---|---|---|
| Controlled Collections Account | Cash leakage and untracked receivables | Account control agreement, payment instructions, waterfall schedule |
| Documentary Flow Discipline | Discrepancies that block payment | Document checklist, presentation timeline, discrepancy SOP |
| Title and Custody Support | Financing goods that cannot be secured | BL control, warehouse receipts, collateral management agreements |
| Independent Inspection | Quality disputes, short shipment claims | Inspection certificates, survey reports, sampling protocol |
| Eligibility and Concentration Limits | Overexposure to one buyer, weak invoices | Eligibility schedule, reserve rules, periodic reporting |
There is no single “best” product. The right structure matches the trade and the enforceable control set. For reference reading, see How Borrowing Base Facilities Function , Letter of Credit Discounting , and the operations layer in SWIFT MT 798.
| Use Case | Typical Structure | What Must Be True | Core Controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Importer needs time to pay | LC or structured payables facility | Buyer bankability, clean documentary flow | UCP-aligned docs, clear shipment and presentation timeline |
| Exporter wants cash now | LC discounting or receivables discounting | Payment obligation is enforceable and verified | Document compliance, assignment, controlled collections |
| Trader needs revolving liquidity | Borrowing base facility | Inventory and receivables can be monitored | Eligibility, audits, collateral manager, reporting cadence |
| Pre-shipment funding gap | Purchase order finance | End buyer and contract are real and verifiable | Milestone draws, inspection, controlled settlement |
If you want speed, give lenders a stable file and answer diligence like a disciplined operator. These are the practical habits that shorten timelines without weakening your position.
If your submission is complete, screening can happen in 1 to 3 business days and packaging can take 5 to 12 business days. Decisioning depends on structure and diligence depth. Routine files move faster than complex files with missing evidence.
No. This process is for commercial transactions with verifiable counterparties, real goods or receivables, and a compliance profile that can clear lender standards.
A trade summary, counterparties, contracts or POs, payment terms, logistics plan, and a KYB pack. For a structured checklist, use Lender Checklist for Trade Finance Deals.
We advise, structure, and coordinate with regulated counterparties where required. If your deal uses documentary credits, read How Documentary LCs Work and keep the documentary flow clean from day one.
No. Structured trade finance can support importers, exporters, distributors, and manufacturers. The common requirement is a verifiable trade cycle and enforceable controls.
Yes. See Trade Credit Facility Term Sheet for a reference format and the typical underwriting perimeter.
If you want funding, start with a lender-grade submission. Share the trade summary, counterparties, contracts, logistics plan, and your KYB pack. We will revert with a structured checklist and next steps inside the workflow.
Trade finance funding is a control problem disguised as a liquidity problem. When the trade is verifiable, the documents are clean, and controls match operations, credit teams can move.
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.
To proceed,
request a quote
and receive indicative commercial terms. If you require guidance before engaging,
book a paid telephone consultation.
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Email supportdesk@financely-group.com for general enquiries, press & partnership requests.
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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