Grow your trading relationships confidently with HSBC's Documentary Credit (DC), also known as Letters of Credit, mitigating the payment risks associated with cross-border trade and improving your cash flow.
Explore more HSBC trade solutions to grow your business. What is a Letter of Credit?A Letter of Credit (LC) is an undertaking by a buyer’s bank to pay its suppliers for goods or services, subject to agreed conditions.
LCs are used extensively in financing of international trade because they offer assurance that both the parties will fulfil their obligations in the trade.
Key benefitsCompared to traditional methods, such as cash payments or wire transfers, LCs provide increased protection against the risks associated with cross-border transactions. They also ensure timely payment and facilitate easier access to working capital finance.
For buyers, Import LCs can potentially help you secure your international purchases and give you the ability to negotiate better contract terms, such as increasing supplier’s credit period.
you can tailor the terms of shipping, delivery, insurance and quality inspection from your suppliers in the LC
For suppliers, Export LCs minimise export payment risk and provide easier access to financing without the need for a credit facility.
you are getting a commitment from the buyer’s bank to pay you if your documents comply with the LC conditions
you can generally request for an advance of funds against compliant documents you can mitigate your risk on the buyer’s bank by asking HSBC to add our confirmation to your LCTo meet your dynamic business needs, we offer competitive pricing for discounting your Export LC and offer various types of LCs (e.g. Transferable LCs) at HSBC offices across the globe.