Confirmation Added via MT710 – Is a Separate Confirmation Letter Required? Intro In practice, a confirming bank may receive a request to add its confirmation under an MT700, but subsequently advise the credit to the beneficiary through another bank using an MT710. This may raise questions regarding: the treatment of Field 49 in MT710, whether the confirming bank must issue a separate confirmation letter, and how the beneficiary understands the scope … Read More
CAN A CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN SHOW “FORM M NUMBER” WITHOUT THE ACTUAL NUMBER IF THE APPLICANT AGREES TO ACCEPT THE DISCREPANCY? Understanding required data, Form M, and the limits of applicant–beneficiary agreements In documentary credit practice, credits sometimes require documents to indicate specific reference numbers issued by government authorities or other institutions. One example is Form M, a document used in Nigeria. Questions may arise when the importer does not want the number shown or indicates that discrepancies will be accepted. … Read More
Five Practical Questions on ISBP 821 – A Few Points Worth Clarifying INTRO Every time a new version of ISBP is published, people read it carefully… and then real-life cases start raising new questions. That is how learning in trade finance usually works—not only from rules, but from practice. A reader recently sent me several thoughtful questions on ISBP 821. Since they touch on points many practitioners quietly wonder about, I thought … Read More
Short Shipment: A Term the Rules Don’t Define, but Bankers Still Use A small discussion that turned into an interesting rediscovery Actually, this is not a typical Q&A but rather a short exchange between me and Bogdan, a trade finance expert whom I have known since we were both editors of LC Monitor (Trade Services Update) some 15 years ago. What amused me most was not the question itself, but the way … Read More
TỪ MỘT THÔNG BÁO TỪ CHỐI… ĐẾN MÓN QUÀ ĐẦU NĂM (câu chuyện nhỏ trong nghề LC) Những ngày giáp Tết, dân làm LC thường chỉ mong mọi việc êm ả để còn yên tâm nghỉ lễ. Nhưng cách đây 4 năm, Mr. Old Man nhận được một tin nhắn Messenger khá “căng” từ bạn LN, đang làm tại Trung tâm Tài trợ Thương mại của một ngân hàng ở Việt … Read More
FROM A NOTICE OF REFUSAL… TO A NEW YEAR’S GIFT (a small story from the LC trade) Real-life cases sometimes reveal gaps in existing guidance. Situations like the one described in this story were among the factors that eventually led to the inclusion of paragraph (ix) in the Preliminary considerations of ISBP 821. In the days leading up to Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, people working in letters of … Read More
Copies, Coverage Dates, and Telex Release B/Ls: Three Practical LC Questions In day-to-day documentary credit work, seemingly small details—dates on insurance documents or wording in transport clauses—can lead to real examination dilemmas. A reader recently sent three practical questions that many trade finance practitioners have probably encountered at least once. Question Dear Mr. Old Man, Greetings of the day. I hope you are doing well. May I ask for your views … Read More
Which Date Counts? Cargo Receipts vs. Actual Receipt Dates Intro In LC practice, dates on documents often matter more than the facts behind them. One of the most common traps is assuming that a document must reflect the “real” event date. In reality, banks can only judge what appears on the face of the document, not what happened in the warehouse or at the port. This short Q&A looks … Read More
A Claim in Time Is Not a Claim in Law: Must the Statement of Default Be Presented Within the Validity of an SBLC? A Swift sent before expiry does not mean you’ve made a valid claim. In standby business, “documents will follow” can be the most expensive sentence of the year… A banker sent me a case that looks simple — until you read it carefully. And as always in standby LCs, the devil is hiding in one small word: “and”. The Case … Read More
Về hưu nên sống ở Sài Gòn hay Đà Nẵng? Nghe thì đơn giản, nhưng câu trả lời lại không hề đơn giản chút nào: còn tuỳ. Nói Đà Nẵng thích hợp hơn Sài Gòn để sống khi về hưu là… không sai, mà là đúng quá luôn. Nhưng hỏi “nên chọn ở đâu?” thì rốt cuộc, mỗi người lại có một chữ tuỳ của riêng mình. Có lẽ trong … Read More