unit five
Document credit transaction
Documentary credit (or Letters of credit) are a very important METHOD OF PAYMENT in international trade. They are normally IRREVOCABLE which mean that they cannot be changed or cancelled without the agreement of all parties. In order to understand how they work you must first realize that they are four parties to a Documentary Credit transaction.
A. The buyer or importer = Silver Office Supplies
B. The importer's bank(the issue bank) = Finlays bank, London
C. The seller or exporter = Shonan Computers
D. The exporter's bank (the ADVISING or CONFIRMING Bank)= The yotsubushi Bank Tokyo
Firstly. The importer and the exporter must negotiate and agree a sales contract. Then the importers begins the documentory Credit process by asking his bank with detail of the transection on an application form. By agreeing to open the credit, the importer's bank guarantees to pay the exporter it the importer cannot or will not pay
Shonan negotiates with----Silver Office Supplies
Silver Office Supplies---- negotiates with Shonan
Silver Office Supplies send an application form to open a Documentary Credit to Finlays Bank
Next, the importer's bank (the ISSUING bank) sends details of the Documentary Credit to the exporter's bank (or it's agent bank in the exporter's country) At this stage, the exporter's bank many EITHER simply pass on the details of the Documentary Credit to the exporter, in which case it is an ADVISING bank OR add its own guarantee to the credit ' in which case it is a CONFIRMING bank. If the credit is CONFIRMED, the transaction is very safe for the exporter, because TWO banks have promised to pay him if the importer does not, and if the importer's bank does not pay him , then the CONFIRMING bank will.