Project Finance & Bridge Financing
Structuring support and introductions to financing partners for infrastructure, energy, and industrial projects, including short-term bridge arrangements.
Learn moreTrade Finance & Banking Instruments
Advisory and introductions for trade finance needs, including bank-issued instruments such as letters of credit and standby letters of credit, arranged by licensed banks.
Overview
Cross-border trade frequently depends on bank-issued instruments — letters of credit, standby letters of credit (SBLCs), guarantees — that give counterparties confidence a transaction will be honoured. We advise businesses on which instruments are appropriate for a given trade, help prepare the documentation banks require, and introduce clients to banks and licensed trade-finance providers able to issue these instruments.
Who this is for
Importers, exporters, and traders who need a bank-issued instrument to support a cross-border transaction, or who are unfamiliar with how trade finance instruments work and want an adviser before approaching a bank.
Business needs this addresses
- Clarity on which instrument (LC, SBLC, guarantee) actually fits a specific trade, and why.
- Introductions to banks or licensed providers who issue these instruments, rather than an unstructured search.
- Help preparing the documentation a bank will require before it issues an instrument.
- A plain-language explanation of how the instrument works, so it is used correctly in the underlying trade contract.
What we provide
- Advisory on which trade finance instrument suits a given transaction.
- Preparing and reviewing the supporting documentation a bank or financial institution will request.
- Introductions to banks and licensed trade-finance providers for instrument issuance.
- Coordinating communication between the client and the issuing institution through to issuance.
Frequently asked questions
Does Eye of Africa issue letters of credit or SBLCs?
No. Only licensed banks and financial institutions issue these instruments. Eye of Africa advises on structuring and introduces clients to institutions that can issue them — we do not issue, lease, or monetize bank instruments ourselves.
I was offered a "leased" bank instrument with guaranteed funding — is that something you offer?
No, and we would caution against it. Offers of "leased" or "monetized" bank instruments with guaranteed funding, especially where an upfront fee is requested, are a well-documented fraud pattern. Legitimate trade finance instruments are issued by a bank directly to a named beneficiary for a specific underlying transaction, not leased or sold on.
How long does instrument issuance usually take?
This is set entirely by the issuing bank's own due diligence and credit process, not by us. We help prepare a complete, well-documented request so there are no avoidable delays on the client's side.
Qualifications & limitations
Eye of Africa is not a bank and does not issue, lease, sell, or guarantee bank instruments. Any letter of credit, SBLC, or guarantee is issued solely by the licensed financial institution concerned, under its own terms and at its own discretion.
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