UKEF lines up new delegated supply chain finance (SCF) guarantees

(Global Trade Review, London, 7 December 2017) UK Export Finance (UKEF) has announced plans for a new invoice financing scheme for exporters in a bid to boost exports through supply chain efficiency. GTR has learned that the new scheme will allow an exporter to set up a supply chain discounting facility with its bank, through which suppliers can receive up to 95% of their payment on invoice submission. The facility will be based on an export contract and support will be based on the buyer’s creditworthiness. UKEF will provide the bank with a guarantee for up to 80% of the amount of credit provided through the facility. The finer details of the scheme, which is due to be launched next year, are still being ironed out. Earlier in the year, the export credit agency (ECA) launched the Bank Delegation scheme, which gives banks authority to issue UKEF guarantees for their customers simply by telling UKEF they are issuing the guarantee based on the banks' own due diligence. [How UKEF will ensure compliance with its own international, WTO and OECD agreed due diligence requirements on human rights, environmental standards and corruption is not clear under this delegation of responsibility to private sector banks.]