Trade Finance Providers and their role in the industry
Continuing with our educational series on Trade Finance, in this article we look at who Trade Finance Providers are and what their role is in International Trade transactions..
The lengthy trade cycles and financial risks inherent in conducting international trade transactions mean that firms engaged in import and export continue to rely on trade finance as a key tool when managing their accounts and cashflow.
Historically, this been provided to MNCs by traditional commercial banks, with SMEs left to rely on conventional banking products or sporadic government finance initiatives.
However, with trade finance under supplied following the financial crisis, the number of non-bank lending platforms offering these products to both SMEs and larger clients has grown steadily in recent years.