Resources

Trade Finance is the financing of goods or services in a trade or transaction, from a supplier through to the end buyer. It
accounts for 3% of global trade, worth some $3tn annually.

All financing providers, financing transactions operators and investors are required to collect at a minimum the following set of basic information on applicants for, or beneficiaries of, financing of more than Euro/USD 2,500 in any one year:

List of Abbreviations

COVID Workplace measures and financing

Step 1: Establish what the money is needed for and how much you really need

Step 2: Find out what business and personal information is required

Step 3: Select two or three providers that could meet your needs

3.1 Community financing providers of low value financing

3.2 Short-term equipment, pre-shipment, sales order or working capital financing

3.3 Term loans through banks and non-bank financing providers

3.4 Bank and non-bank short-term supply chain financing options

3.5 Key enterprise loan regulatory considerations for banks

3.6 What is “Collateral” and what are its implications on your business

3.7 Asset valuation: enterprise and lender perspective

3.8 What are “Covenants” and how do they affect your business?

4.1 Business communications and visibility

4.2 Loan performance and reporting communication norms

4.3 References and customer feedback

5.1 What to optimize before drafting your business plan

5.2 Risk assessments: supply chain vulnerabilities, sustainability & resilience

5.3 Resilience and business continuity plans and measures

5.4 Product and service authenticity, traceability, quality & labelling compliance

5.5 Drafting a realistic business plan

5.6 Market, business growth and revenue projections with references

5.7 Typical errors and practices that result in application rejections       

5.8 Digitisation, and the implications for financing options

6.1 What to prepare before contacting BDS service providers.

6.2 Types of business development services and business support organizations.

A quick reference guide and financing decision trees for MSMEs, developed by the International Trade Centre under the East African Community MARKUP project, funded by the European Union

Market facilitation (M4P) is an approach to promote systemic change—change that goes beyond individual players and that is relevant to the wider environment, affecting many. Market systems development requires that organisations play a facilitating role. Standing outside of the market system, facilitators work with different players within the system, to make it work more effectively. Their essential role is active and catalytic, to enable others to do rather than do themselves—stimulating changes in a market system without becoming part of it.

By FSD Africa

The African continent presents a massive investment opportunity for investors to advance climate solutions in the coming decade, however, a set of barriers to finance have stifled requisite investment to date. In this new report, in collaboration with Climate Finance Innovation for Africa and Climate Policy Initiative, we provide a framework for how innovation in financing structures can leverage strategic deployment of public capital to ‘crowd-in’ private investment at levels not yet seen.

By FSD Africa

This project:

Identifies the skills gap, training needs and existing cross-industry skill development initiatives among financial service providers in East Africa;

Identifies existing cross-industry skills development initiatives in International markets;

Develops potential solutions for cross-industry skills development for East Africa financial service sector.

The International Trade Centre’s E-Learning and SME Trade Academy platforms offer practical, vocational training online for SMEs and trade advisors in the public and private sectors in many different languages

This course is designed for startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking to strengthen their financial capabilities and prepare to engage financiers and investors.