Atlas › Finance we arrange › Trade and supply-chain finance
Trade and supply-chain finance
Trade finance funds the gap between paying suppliers and being paid by customers. It is lent against specific transactions, contracts and goods rather than only the strength of your balance sheet, which means growing businesses can often borrow more than a standard loan would allow.
What it's used for
- Paying overseas suppliers before goods arrive
- Funding large purchase orders and contracts
- Letters of credit and documentary collections
- Stock and inventory finance
- Supply-chain and reverse factoring programmes
What lenders look at
- The underlying contracts, purchase orders and counterparties
- Credit quality of your customers and suppliers
- Track record of the trade and margins
- Credit insurance, if any, and how goods are controlled
- Facility size, typically from £250,000 upwards
What you'll need to send
You don't need everything on day one. Start with what you have; Atlas tells you what's missing as the deal is prepared.
- Recent purchase orders or sales contracts
- Supplier and customer details
- Last two years' accounts and management accounts
- Aged debtor and creditor lists
- Details of existing facilities
How Atlas handles it
- Describe the deal. In your own words, online or on WhatsApp. Rough figures are fine.
- We underwrite it. Atlas checks the figures, asks the questions lenders will ask, and builds a complete pack.
- We match it. Your deal goes to the lenders on our panel whose criteria it fits, not to everyone.
- You compare terms. Lenders respond on the platform, and we help you through to completion.
Have a trade and supply-chain finance deal? Start it on Atlas in a few minutes. Introducers and brokers can submit on behalf of clients.
Start a dealCommon questions
Is trade finance only for importers?
No. Exporters, distributors and manufacturers use it too, for example to fund a large contract or to offer customers longer payment terms.
Do I need credit insurance?
Not always, but it often improves terms. Atlas will tell you whether it is likely to make a difference.
Can it sit alongside invoice finance?
Yes. Trade and invoice facilities often work together, one funding the purchase and the other the sale.
Other finance we arrange
- Development financeFunding for ground-up builds, conversions and refurbishment schemes.
- Development exit financeRepays a maturing build loan while you sell or refinance completed units.
- Bridging financeShort-term loans secured on property, repaid by sale or refinance.
- Refurbishment financeLight and heavy refurbishment, conversions and value-add schemes.
- Commercial mortgages and investment loansTerm loans on commercial, mixed-use and investment property.
- Hotel and hospitality financeAcquisition, refinance and repositioning of hotels and leisure assets.
- Business loans and working capitalGrowth, working capital and refinancing for trading businesses.
- Invoice finance and ABLFunding released against your sales ledger, stock and assets.
- Asset financeFunding for vehicles, plant, machinery and equipment.
- Acquisition, leveraged and mezzanine financeBuy-outs, acquisitions, unitranche and stretch or mezzanine debt.
- Sports financeClubs, leagues, venues and events across every sport.
- Football financeTransfer fees, receivables, media advances and club funding.
- Infrastructure and project financeSenior and structured debt for energy, renewables and large projects.
- Equity and co-investmentIntroductions to family offices and investment groups for equity and JV capital.