Underwriting Standards for Trade Finance Deals: How Financely Screens, Prices, and Mitigates Risk
1 — Borrower Quality – The Eligibility Gate
Financely backs importers, exporters, processors, and distributors with at least two audited years of profitability and ≥ USD 10 million EBITDA. Key ratios:
- Net-debt-to-EBITDA < 3.5 ×
post-facility;
- DSCR > 1.25 ×
based on forward cash-flow;
- Equity cushion > 25 %
of total capital employed.
Management must show a verifiable trading record, clean KYC, and no unresolved sanctions or AML flags.
2 — Collateral Control – Perfecting the Security
We analyse control points across the supply chain:
- Warehouse receipts or title docs
endorsed to the security agent;
- Assignment of export contracts
or purchase orders to lock receivable flows;
- Pledge of collection accounts
under blocked-account control or cash-sweep triggers;
- Marine cargo & stock throughput insurance
naming lenders as loss-payees.
3 — Cash-Conversion-Cycle Metrics
We model the transaction timeline from supplier payment to end-buyer settlement. Acceptable windows:
| Commodity Class |
Max Tenor (Days) |
Typical Margin Call Window |
| Refined fuels |
45 |
Daily |
| Agricultural bulk |
90 |
Weekly |
| Base metals |
120 |
Daily/Weekly |
If cycle days exceed commodity norms, we layer an availability haircut or require additional collateral.
4 — Facility Typology & Covenant Grid
Documentary Letter of Credit (DLC)
- Issued under UCP 600; sight or usance < 180 days;
- Back-to-back LC permitted where confirmed by an investment-grade bank;
- Trade-to-document ratio tested: compliant docs must cover ≥ 103 % of invoice value.
Standby LC-Backed Revolver
- ISP 98 standby from rated bank posted as collateral;
- Borrowing base = 85 % of eligible receivables + 70 % of inventory (LTV resets monthly);
- Automatic cash sweep if collateral coverage dips below 110 %.
Pre-Export Finance (PXF)
- Off-take contract assigned; advance rate 60–70 % of discounted invoice stream;
- Minimum two-party trigger insurance on political-risk jurisdictions;
- Forward-sales hedge mandated when revenue is linked to LME or ICE indices.
5 — Risk-Transfer & Hedging Requirements
- Commodity Price Risk
– Futures or swaps to neutralise outright exposure; options overlay for inventory > 60 days.
- FX Mismatch
– Forward contracts or NDFs aligning payables and receivables currencies.
- Counterparty Risk
– Payment guarantees or credit insurance if end-buyers are sub-investment-grade.
6 — Approval & Monitoring Workflow
- Credit Committee
– unanimous vote required for tenors > 90 days or exposure > USD 20 million;
- Disbursement Conditions
– all collateral perfected, insurance in force, hedges executed;
- Ongoing Reporting
– weekly position & mark-to-market; monthly management accounts; auditor sign-off annually;
- Early-Warning Triggers
– margin calls, covenant breaches, or payment delays automatically limit new drawdowns pending cure.
7 — Why We Decline Deals
- Zero equity or first-loss share from the borrower;
- Unverified commodity title or storage control;
- Speculative arbitrage with no hedging strategy;
- Borrowers unwilling to accept financial-reporting covenants.
8 — Alignment of Incentives
Financely earns its largest fee tranche when the transaction closes and performs. Declining weak files protects our P&L and our lender relationships. Our underwriting team is therefore hard-wired to prioritise quality over deal count.
Questions?
For a detailed term-sheet review, email info@financely-group.com
or submit your draft transaction through the client portal for a 48-hour feasibility opinion.