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Strategy · Trade financeFor professional investors

Trade finance: short-dated income from real shipments.

The strategy finances shipments of food, metals and manufactured goods for trading companies, and is repaid by the buyers of those goods within 30 to 120 days. It targets 9% to 11% a year in US dollars, paid quarterly.
Request the Dataroom Key terms
Target net return
9–11% a year
Average asset term
60–120 days
Distributions
Quarterly
Minimum
$100,000

Targets, not guarantees. Capital at risk. Figures are indicative until the fund documents are issued.

Line drawing of a container ship, port cranes and world trade routes

Trade Finance Strategy

Trade finance is short-term lending tied to one cargo: the lender pays the supplier or advances against the invoice, and the buyer's payment repays it. Because every loan is self-liquidating and short, a trade finance portfolio renews itself several times a year, which is why credit funds use it for steady, low-duration income.

The strategy

Many small, short loans, each repaid by a named buyer.

The fund lends to registered trading companies against specific shipments: before loading, while the goods travel, or until a bank pays under a letter of credit. Each loan is sized at 80% to 90% of the purchase price or invoice, so the trader keeps money in the deal.

Repayment comes from the buyer, who pays into a collection account the fund controls. The buyer confirms the order directly, an independent inspector checks the goods before money moves, and cargo insurance names the fund.

With an average asset term of 60 to 120 days, capital turns over three to five times a year. The portfolio is spread across 40 to 80 shipments, with limits per buyer, trader and country, so one problem cannot dominate the result.

The desk that sources the loans prices them from 1.0% per 30 days plus an arrangement fee. After expected losses, costs and fees, that pricing supports the 9% to 11% net target.

What the portfolio finances

  • Food and agriculture

    Rice, grains, coffee, cocoa, edible oils: high-volume goods with clear specifications and steady demand.

  • Refined metals

    Aluminium, copper and steel products bought and sold against exchange-referenced prices.

  • Manufactured goods

    Components, textiles and consumer goods with repeat buyers.

  • Letter of credit bridges

    Short loans repaid by a bank under a confirmed letter of credit.

How one loan works

The life of a shipment loan.

Three situations, the same principle: the fund is repaid from the buyer's payment for the goods it financed.

  1. 1Before loading

    An independent inspector checks the goods. The fund pays the trader's supplier its share of the price; the trader pays the rest.

  2. 2In transit

    The goods ship under documents the fund controls, insured in its favour.

  3. 3On the due date

    The buyer pays into a collection account named in the sales contract.

  4. 4Settlement

    The fund takes the amount it advanced plus the agreed cost. The rest goes to the trader the same day.

The share the fund advances and the price are set for each loan after the credit review.

Where the return comes from

How the target is built.

Trade finance pricing is high relative to its short term because each loan is small and needs checks. The target is what remains for investors after losses, idle cash, costs and fees.
Yield on shipment loans: from 1.0% per 30 days, plus arrangement fees+13% to +18% a year
Expected credit losses: late payment, disputes, defaults−1.5% to −3%
Cash waiting to be deployed, and running costs−1% to −2%
Management and performance fees−1.5% to −2.5%
Target net return to investors9% to 11% a year
Illustrative ranges from the strategy's design, not a forecast and not past performance. Actual results can be lower, and capital can be lost.

Security

Five layers between your capital and a loss.

  1. 01

    Buyer pays the fund

    Repayment goes into a collection account the fund controls, named in the sales contract and confirmed by the buyer.

  2. 02

    Goods checked at source

    An independent inspector confirms quality and quantity before money moves; the report goes to the fund, not the trader.

  3. 03

    Trader's own money

    The fund advances 80% to 90%, so the trader carries the first part of any loss on its own deal.

  4. 04

    Insurance

    Cargo insurance names the fund; trade credit insurance covers eligible buyers where it is available.

  5. 05

    Diversification

    40 to 80 shipments at a time, with limits per buyer, trader and country.

Portfolio rules

  • No more than 10% of the fund with one buyer
  • No more than 15% with one trader
  • No more than 25% in one country
  • No unrefined precious metals, no deals backed only by a letter of intent
  • No goods or routes under sanctions; every party screened

Key terms

The terms in one table.

Target net return
9% to 11% a year in US dollars, after feesA target, not a guarantee.
What it holds
40 to 80 shipment loans and receivables at a time: food and agriculture, refined metals, manufactured goods
Average asset term
60 to 120 days; capital turns over three to five times a year
Concentration limits
No more than 10% per buyer, 15% per trader and 25% per country
Protection
Buyer payments into controlled accounts, independent inspection, documents from their issuers, trade credit insurance where available
Distributions
Quarterly, in US dollars
Liquidity
Quarterly redemption with 60 days' notice after a six-month lock-up; gates can apply
Fees
Management fee 1.5% a year; performance fee 10% of returns above an 8% hurdle
Vehicle
Fund units or notes recorded on a permissioned tokenized register
Minimum investment
$100,000
Reporting
Monthly: positions, days past due, collections, exposures by buyer and country
Who can invest
Professional or accredited investors, family offices, funds, platforms for eligible clients

Targets are not guaranteed and are not a forecast. Capital is at risk. Each strategy is offered only through its fund or SPV documents, to eligible professional or accredited investors, where the law allows. Nothing here is an offer, investment advice or a recommendation.

Reviewed . Indicative terms; the fund or SPV documents prevail.

Risks

What can go wrong.

Read these before the targets. Each one is covered in more detail in the Dataroom documents.
  • A buyer can pay late or not at all, or dispute the quality of the goods.
  • Documents can be forged; checks reduce this risk but cannot remove it.
  • Insurance has exclusions, and not every buyer can be insured.
  • Concentration: a few large buyers or one trading corridor can affect results.
  • Currency: the strategy is in US dollars; investors in other currencies carry exchange risk.
  • Liquidity: redemptions can be gated if many investors ask at once.
  • Targets are not guaranteed, and past results of any trade finance fund do not predict future ones.

Who it suits

Built for long-term private-market investors.

  • Private investors

    Professional or accredited investors looking for short-dated income in US dollars.

  • Family offices

    A diversifier for the fixed-income sleeve, with quarterly liquidity and monthly reporting.

  • Funds and platforms

    Credit funds, fund-of-funds and wealth platforms placing capital for eligible clients.

  • On-chain allocators

    Protocols and treasuries that want real-economy yield through a permissioned register.

How to invest

From first question to first report.

  1. 01

    Request access

    Tell us who you are and which strategy interests you. We reply within one business day.

  2. 02

    Eligibility

    We confirm you are a professional or accredited investor where you live. Some countries are excluded.

  3. 03

    Dataroom

    Review the strategy memorandum, terms, credit or investment policy and sample reports.

  4. 04

    Subscribe

    Through the fund or SPV documents, after the administrator's identity checks. Units are recorded on the register.

  5. 05

    Reporting

    Regular reports and distributions, with every document kept in the Dataroom.

Questions

Asked by investors.

What is a trade finance investment?

It is lending against real shipments of goods. The strategy pays a supplier or advances against an invoice and is repaid from the buyer's payment for that cargo, usually within 30 to 120 days. Investors hold units or notes in the vehicle that makes these loans.

Why is trade finance considered relatively stable?

Each loan is short and is repaid by the sale of the goods it finances, so capital turns over several times a year and problems show quickly. Losses still happen, mostly from disputes, fraud and late payment, which is why buyer confirmation, inspection and concentration limits matter more than the headline rate.

What return does the strategy target?

9% to 11% a year in US dollars after fees, distributed quarterly. This is a target from the strategy's design, not a guarantee or a forecast.

How liquid is it?

Quarterly redemption with 60 days' notice after a six-month lock-up, subject to gates if many investors ask at once. The assets are short-dated, so redemptions are normally met from repayments.

What is the minimum investment?

$100,000. The strategy is open only to professional or accredited investors where the law allows.

How is fraud prevented?

Documents are accepted only from the parties that issue them: the buyer confirms the order and the payment account directly, the inspector reports straight to the fund, and the bill of lading is checked against the carrier. Each invoice is checked so it is not financed twice.

Can on-chain allocators or platforms invest?

Units or notes are recorded on a permissioned tokenized register, so they can be held in whitelisted wallets or by a platform for eligible clients where the fund documents allow.

Where do the shipment loans come from?

From trading companies that apply through the Asset Haus trade finance desk, and from partner originators. Every application passes the same first check before the fund's credit review.

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Loan-to-value
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Loan term
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Minimum
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Targets are not guaranteed and are not a forecast. Capital is at risk. Each strategy is offered only through its fund or SPV documents, to eligible professional or accredited investors, where the law allows. Nothing here is an offer, investment advice or a recommendation.

Asset Haus provides the platform, the tokenized register and the Dataroom. Each strategy is managed by the fund manager named in its documents, which is responsible for investment decisions.

See the documents behind the targets.

The Dataroom holds the strategy memorandum, the terms, the credit or investment policy and sample reports. Access takes one short form.
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