Trade Finance Eligibility Check

A trade finance eligibility check is a paid, no-call written screen of a trade file against bankability, counterparty, documentation and structure tests. Financely issues a fit note, or a written decline if the file is not bankable. It is an advisor and arranger, not a lender, and it does not issue instruments or guarantee a facility.

What does the trade finance eligibility check cover?

The screen reviews the applicant and counterparties, the goods or receivables, title and logistics, the proposed structure, and whether the file is complete enough to evaluate. It is a written diagnostic, not a facility and not a credit decision by a lender. The output is a fit note or a written decline.

The work is deliberately narrow. You are not buying a retained structuring mandate, a lender introduction, or an instrument when you pay for the screen. You are buying a written view of whether the file is bankable enough for Financely to consider further work, and a clear record of the gaps if it is not.

Typical tests include: whether the applicant is a real operating company; whether the buyer and seller (or borrower and obligors) can be identified and screened; whether the goods, receivables or contract flows are lawful and documented; and whether the proposed structure matches those facts. A file that only exists as a broker chain, a rented standby request, or a proof-of-funds enquiry will not pass those tests.

The screen sits beside, and does not replace, the live pages on structured trade finance advisory and trade finance and credit enhancement. Those pages describe retained work. This page describes the paid entry diagnostic that decides whether that work should even be scoped.

Who is the screen for, and when is a file declined in writing?

The screen is for operating companies with a real trade, receivable or inventory file that they want reviewed before a retained mandate. It is not for brokers, instrument shoppers, or parties looking for a rented letter of credit or standby. Those files are declined in writing rather than forced into further work.

Financely works with bankable counterparties only. A bankable file usually has identifiable companies, a commercial purpose, and documents that a credit officer could actually read. A file that cannot name the buyer, the seller, the goods, or the source of repayment is not improved by a longer call. The written decline exists so that result is unambiguous.

If the file is close, the fit note will say what is missing: corporate documents, contract drafts, inspection or title evidence, or a structure that does not match the trade. That is still a diagnostic. It is not a promise that the gaps can be filled, and it is not a commitment that a lender will later accept the same file.

How does the USD 500 screen relate to a retained mandate?

The USD 500 intake is the published price of this screen, and it is also the intake that precedes any later mandate fee. If the file is a fit, Financely may offer a retained engagement in the approved advisory band. The intake does not buy that mandate and does not reserve a lender or an issuer.

The published intake is stated on Start Your Engagement. Every engagement starts with that payment. File review begins after it is received. If the screen is a decline, that is the end of the paid diagnostic. If the screen is a fit, any later work is scoped in an engagement letter, and the mandate fee for that work is separate.

High-ticket retained work, when offered, sits in the USD 50,000-200,000 band, with Package 3's ceiling at USD 200,000. Those figures describe later advisory work, not this screen. Do not treat the intake as a down payment that entitles you to issuance, funding, or a placement process.

What is in the written fit note?

The fit note records whether the applicant and counterparties can be reviewed, whether the commercial file is complete enough to evaluate, and whether the proposed structure is plausible for a bankable trade. It also lists material gaps. It is not a credit rating, a legal opinion, or a term sheet from a lender.

Where the file relates to a deeper evaluation, the note may point you to the live trade finance deal assessment service or to a retained structuring discussion. Those are separate products. The fit note will not pretend that the USD 500 screen already includes a model, a full information memorandum, or lender outreach.

Where the facts point to a commodity trade, the note will also be read against the standards already described on the commodity trade finance page: real counterparties, a clear flow of goods or title, and a complete file. The screen does not replace a collateral management, inspection, or KYC process that a lender would still run later.

What happens to unbankable or no-upfront-fee requests?

Requests for a standby, letter of credit, or payment message with no upfront cost, no real applicant, or no bankable trade are declined in writing. Financely is not a provider of those instruments and does not send MT199, MT799 or KTT messages. The eligibility screen is the correct next step only for a real file.

Search traffic around SBLC providers and no-upfront-fee issuance is common, and it is usually poorly qualified. If you arrived from that kind of query, read the educational post on why a standby with no upfront fee is not realistic and then decide whether you actually have a file worth screening. Paying the intake does not convert an unbankable request into an issuance mandate.

If your need is a genuine letter of credit or standby in support of a bankable contract, the path is still this screen, then, only if the file fits, advisory work such as letter of credit arrangement and bank coordination. Financely may help structure and arrange. It does not issue the instrument and it does not lend against it.

How do you buy the trade finance eligibility check?

Submit the file through the deal submission form, then pay the published USD 500 intake on the engagement page. Review begins after payment. You receive a written fit note or a written decline. There is no obligatory call, and there is no facility attached to the payment.

Use Submit Your Deal to send the materials, and Start Your Engagement to pay the intake. If you already have a complete pack, say so in the submission. If you do not, send what you have and expect the note to list the gaps rather than invent a structure around missing facts.

Frequently asked questions

Is my company eligible for trade finance?

Eligibility depends on the counterparties, the goods or receivables, the documents, and whether the file is bankable enough to evaluate or retain. This product is a written fit note. Unbankable files are declined in writing rather than forced into a mandate. Financely does not lend and does not guarantee a facility.

What makes a commodity trade bankable?

Bankability usually turns on real counterparties, a clear flow of goods or title, lawful origin and routing, and a complete file. For commodity depth, read the live page on commodity trade finance. The eligibility check applies those tests to your file and records the result in writing.

How do I get approved for a trade finance facility?

Approval sits with the capital provider, not with Financely. The existing guide on how to get approved for a trade finance facility should stay your reference for lender process. This page sells a written screen, not a promised approval or a funded line.

Does the USD 500 fee guarantee a mandate or an instrument?

No. The USD 500 intake pays for professional review of the file and a written fit note or decline. It is not a financing fee, not a collateral deposit, and not a payment for a letter of credit or standby. A retained mandate, if offered, is scoped only after the screen.

I was looking for SBLC providers with no upfront fees. Is this that service?

No. Financely is not an SBLC provider and does not issue standbys, letters of credit, or MT messages. Offers that advertise issuance with no upfront cost are a common warning sign, as our no upfront fee standby guide explains. Use this screen if you have a real, bankable file.

What should I send with the intake?

Send a corporate profile, the draft or signed commercial contract, evidence of the counterparties, the goods or receivables, logistics or title documents if they exist, and the amount and tenor you want reviewed. Incomplete broker chains and rented-instrument requests are usually declined in writing.