International Trade Finance Specialists · Est. 2020

Export with Confidence
to Challenging Markets
Worldwide

Expert LC structuring, confirmation & non-recourse discounting solutions, and zero-discrepancy LC documentation — delivered by a team of former international bankers.

500+
Deals Executed
USD1.3Bn
Cumulative Value
70+
Buyer Countries
50+
Global Clients
UCP 600 Specialists ISBP 821 Expertise Zero-Discrepancy Doc Prep & Doc Check LC Confirmation for High-Risk & Emerging Markets Worldwide Non-Recourse Discounting under Unconfirmed LCs Traite / Avalized Draft Discounting LC Forfaiting for Medium to Long Tenors Multi-Bank LC Syndication Export Credit Structuring Post-Shipment Export Financing Import Credit Structuring & Financing Buyer Bank & Country Risk Mitigation UCP 600 Specialists ISBP 821 Expertise Zero-Discrepancy Doc Prep & Doc Check LC Confirmation for High-Risk & Emerging Markets Worldwide Non-Recourse Discounting under Unconfirmed LCs Traite / Avalized Draft Discounting LC Forfaiting for Medium to Long Tenors Multi-Bank LC Syndication Export Credit Structuring Post-Shipment Export Financing Import Credit Structuring & Financing Buyer Bank & Country Risk Mitigation
Who We Serve

One Instrument. Three Sides of the Table.

📦

Exporters

Get paid safely and early. We arrange confirmation and non-recourse discounting of your LCs through international banks — including banks beyond your own network — and check your documents to bank standard, so payment arrives in full, on first presentation, soon after you ship. We also help you offer credit to buyers in emerging markets under LCs or avals, with the payment risk taken on by those banks rather than your business.

Our exporter solutions →
🌍

Importers

Pay your suppliers at sight while you take time to pay. We structure your import LCs to secure financing and deferred-payment terms — so your supplier is paid immediately, and your cash flow has room to breathe. We also help reduce your import financing costs, arranging funding at international USD and EUR benchmark-linked rates from international banks.

Our importer solutions →
🏦

Banks & FIs

When your trade desk is stretched, outsource specialist LC document checking and structuring to former bankers — rigorous examination under UCP 600 and ISBP 821, bank-level scrutiny on demand, without adding headcount. An expert pair of hands for overflow volumes, complex presentations, and difficult corridors.

Our bank services →
Vijay Ramanujam
25+
Years in International
Banking & Trade Finance
Who We Are

Built and Run by Former International Bankers

VRITFC is a specialist Letter of Credit consultancy. We have sat on the bank's side of the table — and we put that insight to work for exporters and importers, arranging LC confirmation, non-recourse discounting and clean documentation through a network of international banks.

Deep expertise in UCP 600, ISBP 821 and ICC LC conventions
A network spanning global and regional banks, multilaterals and trade credit insurers
Clients from SMEs to Tata, Trafigura, Aditya Birla and Golden Agri
Active across India, Singapore, Dubai and Africa
A Few of Our Clients
Trafigura
Tata International
Aditya Birla Group
Golden Agri
Emami
Alstro Singapore
Sadot Group
Agrocorp
ETG Group
Tristar
Bank of Ceylon
Longulf
Macworld
Client Voice

What Our Clients Say About Working with VRITFC

Aditya Birla GroupGlobal Trading · Singapore
"

The service standards provided by Mr Vijay are beyond excellence. His professional ability to connect with bankers in different countries and form consortium to provide trade solutions has helped us even for difficult countries in Asian and African Region. His rigorous follow-ups and ownership of transaction provides highest level of comfort to clients.

Shyam Zanwar
General Manager Finance & Accounts
Aditya Birla Global Trading, Singapore
🏢
Confidential ClientGlobal Sugar Trading · Dubai
"

VRITFC's strong command of UCP 600, extensive banking network, and in-depth domain expertise greatly simplified a highly complex USD 10 million export LC transaction to Libya. Their involvement played a key role in the successful and seamless execution of the transaction.

Managing Director
Global Sugar Trading Company
Dubai
Tata InternationalSteel & Scrap Division
"

Vijay is a highly seasoned, dedicated and well-connected trade finance expert. He is focused on best advising and supporting customers and helped our team create more value out of trade finance transactions.

Jean Marie Gloaguen
Head of Operations, Steel & Scrap
Tata International
What We Do

Five Specialist Services.
One Mission — Get You Paid, Safely and Sooner.

We don't offer generic trade finance. Every service we provide is built around one instrument — the Letter of Credit — and the deep expertise required to make it work in the world's most difficult markets.

500+
Deals Executed
70+
Buyer Countries
USD1.3Bn
Value Transacted
50+
Years Experience
"Whatever your Letter of Credit needs are, the chances are we have structured something like it before."

VRITFC is not a generalist trade finance firm. We are pure-play LC specialists — which means every tool in our kit, every bank relationship we hold, and our team's 50+ years of combined experience is pointed at one thing: making your LC transaction work — cleanly, and on time.

Service 01

LC Structuring & Advisory

The shape of an LC deal is decided long before documents are presented — and the right structure protects your cash flow, your margin, and your payment. From the proforma-invoice stage, we help you weigh the buyer's bank and country risk and structure the deal around it: whether to trade on an LC or an avalised draft, which payment terms to use — sight, usance or UPAS — how to price credit costs into your numbers, and when a transferable or back-to-back LC is the right tool. We also review the LC wording itself — catching unworkable clauses, impractical shipment windows, or document requirements no bank will accept, before the LC is issued.

  • Buyer-bank and country risk assessment at the proforma-invoice stage
  • The right instrument and terms — LC or avalised draft; sight, usance or UPAS
  • Pricing credit costs into your transaction
  • Transferable and back-to-back LC structuring
  • LC wording review against UCP 600 and ISBP 821 — clauses, shipment terms, document requirements
  • Amendment advice and negotiation strategy
01
LC Structuring
Service 02

LC Confirmation

Already confirming your export LCs with banks in your network? There may still be sharper pricing out there. Confirmation rates vary widely from bank to bank, and the best rate for one market is rarely the best for another. We help you find the right banking partner for each export market you sell into — sourcing confirmation from international banks beyond your own network to secure keener rates, lower your confirmation cost, and lift your margin on every deal. And where the issuing bank or country carries real risk, that same confirmation protects you: present compliant documents and you get paid, whatever happens to the buyer, the issuing bank, or the country.

  • Silent and disclosed confirmation structures
  • Risk cover across difficult markets — emerging, frontier and beyond
  • The right confirming bank — and sharper rates — for each market you sell into
02
LC Confirmation
Service 03

Non-Recourse Discounting & Forfaiting

You've shipped. The documents are compliant. But the LC carries a 90-day, 180-day, or longer deferred payment term — and you need cash now, not in six months. Non-recourse discounting converts your deferred LC receivable into immediate cash, with the bank and country risk passing to the financier — if the obligor bank doesn't pay at maturity, that risk sits with them, not you. It also takes the receivable off your balance sheet, and lets you offer buyers the credit terms they want while still being paid today. And because we source discounting across our international network, we secure competitive rates that protect your margin.

  • Immediate cash against your compliant LC documents
  • Buyer-bank non-payment risk and country political and economic risk both transferred to the financier
  • No payment-monitoring, due-date tracking or chasing of late payment — the financier carries it
  • No need for separate credit insurance (ECGC or private cover) — the risk is already passed to the financier
  • Frees up your own bank's recourse-discounting lines to do more business
  • Competitive discount rates and forfaiting of medium- and long-term receivables, through our international network
03
Discounting & Forfaiting
Service 04

Zero-Discrepancy Document Preparation & Checking

In commodity trade, where prices move, a buyer facing a loss may seize on the smallest documentary discrepancy to delay payment, force a renegotiation, or renege altogether — and each discrepancy gives the confirming, negotiating or issuing bank grounds to do so. Getting the documents exactly right is what protects your payment. We prepare, check and certify your complete document set — bills of lading, commercial invoices, certificates of origin, inspection certificates, packing lists — at draft stage, to international banking standards. As former international bankers who examined these documents inside the banks themselves, we catch discrepancies before they reach the bank. Our standard is simple: zero discrepancies, zero payment delays.

  • End-to-end document preparation against LC terms
  • Line-by-line compliance check against UCP 600 and ISBP 821
  • Documents checked to international banking standards before presentation
  • Document courier coordination and bank submission support
04
Document Checking
Service 05

Avalised-Draft Discounting

In much of the world — Francophone Africa especially — trade is settled by avalised drafts (traite avalisée) rather than Letters of Credit. Once a bank adds its aval to the draft, it carries that bank's guarantee. We discount these avalised drafts on a non-recourse basis, sourcing banks willing to take the buyer-bank and country risk — so you can sell on credit terms into difficult markets, get paid today, and retain no payment risk. It is one of our deepest specialisms.

  • Non-recourse discounting of drafts avalised by banks in difficult markets
  • Buyer-bank and country risk transferred to the financier
  • Sell on credit terms and receive immediate cash
  • Deep expertise in Francophone Africa and other avalised-draft markets
05
Avalised Drafts
Why VRITFC

What Sets Us Apart

🎯
LCs Are Our Bread and Butter

We do one thing — Letters of Credit, exclusively. Not corporate finance, not project finance, not trade consulting broadly. LCs are our circle of competence, and we stay firmly within it. That single-minded focus is what gives us the depth you need when a transaction gets complex.

🌐
Our Banking Network from Timbuktu to Tashkent

Finding a bank that will cover risk in the world's most difficult markets is rarely easy — and that is exactly what we do. We've built relationships with global, regional and local banks, from West Africa to South and Central Asia and beyond. When a deal needs a bank beyond your own network, that is where we come in.

📜
Front-Office Deal-Making, Back-Office Rigour

Great LC outcomes come from two skills that rarely sit together: commercial instinct — the deal-making to structure multi-bank syndications, avalised-draft and back-to-back transactions — and operational rigour — the command of UCP 600, ISBP 821 and ICC detail that makes a structure hold. Our team has lived both sides, front office and back. That dual fluency is what turns a difficult transaction into a clean, completed one.

🤝
The 3 P's — Passion, Perseverance & Personal Ownership

We care about getting your deal done. Every transaction is handled personally by senior, former bankers — with the perseverance to work a difficult structure for as long as it takes, and the accountability to see it through. If something goes wrong, we fix it. Direct bank relationships and rigorous follow-up are what our clients consistently value.

How We Work

From First Call to
Funds in Your Account

The transaction journey — from proforma invoice to payment in your account.

1
Initial Consultation

You share your transaction details — underlying goods, buyer, issuing bank, country, value, and timeline. We assess the risk and structure within 24–48 hours.

2
Solution Structuring

We design the optimal structure — confirmation, discounting, document preparation, or a combination — and present a clear proposal, including our fees, the bank's charges, and timeline.

3
Bank Engagement

We engage our international banking network directly, manage all communications, secure confirmations, and handle every technical and documentation requirement end-to-end.

4
Payment Secured

Documents are presented, accepted, and payment is made — on time, without discrepancies, and with complete peace of mind.

Ready to Discuss Your
Next LC Transaction?

Tell us the details — goods, country, bank, amount — and we'll tell you exactly how we can help, usually within 24 hours.

Selected Work

A Track Record Built in Difficult Markets

500+ transactions across 70+ buyer countries — a selection of the cases behind the numbers.

500+
Deals Executed
USD1.3Bn
Cumulative Value
70+
Buyer Countries
50+
Global Clients
Case Studies

Six Transactions, Six Stories

Case Study 01 · LC Confirmation
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Crisis Transaction

Confirming USD 200M+ of LCs Through Sri Lanka's Economic Crisis

When Sri Lanka's 2021 crisis led international banks to freeze new exposure, a major global conglomerate needed its Sri Lankan-bank LCs confirmed and discounted to keep supplying under a major government contract. VRITFC arranged confirmation and discounting for USD 200M+ of LCs — and delivered over USD 700K in savings on confirmation fees and discounting interest.

USD 700K IN COST SAVINGSRead full case →
Case Study 02 · Non-Recourse Discounting
🌍 Francophone Africa

Avalised-Draft Discounting in Francophone Africa

In Francophone Africa, trade is often settled by avalised drafts (traite avalisée) rather than Letters of Credit. VRITFC arranges non-recourse discounting of drafts avalised by African banks — covering the buyer-bank and country risk so exporters can sell into these markets with confidence and still get paid, without recourse.

AVALISED DRAFTS · FRANCOPHONE AFRICARead full case →
Case Study 03 · Complex LC Structuring
🌍 Ethiopia — Commercial Bank of Ethiopia

Creating USD 100M+ of 360-Day Capacity for Commercial Bank of Ethiopia

A leading global commodity trader needed risk cover on Commercial Bank of Ethiopia to supply the Ethiopian government — but market capacity for CBE was maxed out amid Ethiopia's economic strain. Over six months, VRITFC structured a first-of-its-kind solution creating USD 100M+ of capacity at 360-day tenor, opening the market where little existed.

SYNDICATED LC CONFIRMATIONRead full case →
Case Study 04 · Document Checking
🏭 Global Exporters

Documents Accepted on First Presentation

In commodity trade, where prices move, a buyer facing a loss may seize on the smallest documentary discrepancy to reject documents or renege. Getting LC documents exactly right is what protects the exporter's payment. VRITFC prepares and checks export documents to international bank standard — for one exporter, cutting payment time from 30 days to under a week; for another, securing payment within 48 hours of presentation.

ZERO DISCREPANCIES · ZERO PAYMENT DELAYSRead full case →
Case Study 05 · Country Risk Mitigation
🌍 Djibouti — Horn of Africa

Risk-Covered Wheat Shipments into East Africa

A global agri-commodities trader was shipping bulk wheat to East Africa under a Letter of Credit issued by a bank in Djibouti — a frontier market few financiers will cover. To protect the trader against non-payment, VRITFC arranged for a Middle Eastern bank to take on the Djibouti issuing-bank and country risk, securing payment on a corridor most would avoid.

FRONTIER CORRIDORRead full case →
Case Study 06 · FI Trade Loans
🏦 Banks in Emerging Asia

Structuring & Syndicating Trade Loans for Emerging-Market Banks

Banks in emerging markets raise foreign-currency funding against underlying trade assets. VRITFC has structured, syndicated and arranged short-term FI trade loans of up to 360 days — including a USD 20M risk-participation syndication for a leading South Asian bank, and a GBP 30M cross-currency structured loan for the UK subsidiary of an international bank.

TRADE LOANS FOR BANKSRead full case →
🖼️ Case image to be added

Trusted By

A Few of the Clients We've Served

Exporters, importers, and the banks that serve them — from SMEs to global commodity traders and multinationals — a selection of the businesses that have trusted VRITFC with their trade finance needs.

Trafigura
Tata
Aditya Birla Group
Golden Agri
ETG
Emami
Gemini Edibles
Agrocorp
Montachem
Sadot
PPL
Macworld
Agricore
Bank of Ceylon
Abul Khair Group
Longulf
Alstro Singapore
Tristar
Global Coverage

Closed Deals in 70+ Countries
Across Major Trade Corridors

From Singapore to Geneva, Mumbai to Dubai, London to Lagos — our network reaches across major trade finance hubs and frontier markets.

London Paris Geneva Dubai Bahrain Mumbai Chennai Colombo Singapore Hong Kong Lagos Nairobi Cairo Vietnam Jo'burg New York Kolkata Dhaka Paraguay Brussels
About Us

A Team of Former International Bankers

Built and run by career international bankers, bringing 50+ years of combined experience from the correspondent banking and trade finance divisions of leading foreign banks around the world — we put front-line banking expertise behind every cross-border export and import transaction.

Who We Are

We've Sat on the Bank's Side of the Table

We have sat on the other side — issuing, confirming, scrutinising, negotiating, discounting and making payments under LCs from within the banks themselves. That means we know exactly where a transaction can fail, what an issuing or a confirming and negotiating bank is really looking for, and how to get your documents accepted on first presentation.

We enable exporters to offer credit terms to buyers in emerging and high-risk markets worldwide — and then take that payment risk off their books. Because the sale is backed by a Letter of Credit or an avalised draft from the buyer's bank, we can transfer the risk of non-payment to international banks, so our clients sell on credit into difficult markets and still get paid, safely and early.

And because payment under an LC is based on documents presented, we help clients prepare and check them to international banking standards — UCP 600 and ISBP 821 — so presentations are clean and payment is never held up by technicalities or discrepancies.

Vijay Ramanujam
Vijay Ramanujam
Managing Partner & CEO, VRITFC
Our Founder

25+ Years Structuring, Financing & De-Risking Cross-Border Trade

Vijay Ramanujam is a Letter of Credit specialist who has spent 25+ years on both sides of the transaction — inside international banks and inside a global commodity trader. He has confirmed, financed and made payments under LCs as a banker, and structured and relied on them as a corporate, where stakes were always high and margins for error near zero. Few advisors have seen the Letter of Credit from both seats; that dual perspective is what he brings to every client.

Formerly Regional Head of Trade Finance for Asia at Louis Dreyfus Company (Singapore) and Head of Trade Finance Operations at American Express Bank Singapore. He founded his own independent boutique international trade finance consultancy in the UK, and now runs it as VRITFC from Chennai, India — advising clients across India, Singapore, Dubai and Africa.

2020 →
Managing Partner & CEO
VRITFC — founded UK 2020, now Chennai, India
2015–2016
Regional Head, Trade Finance Asia
Louis Dreyfus Company, Singapore
2012–2015
Director, Structured Trade Finance — Bank Distribution
Louis Dreyfus Company, Singapore
2007–2012
Trade Sales & Correspondent Banking
American Express Bank · Standard Chartered · Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ — India & Singapore
2002–2007
Head of Singapore Trade Operations
American Express Bank
What We Stand For
"To be the most trusted Letter of Credit consultancy for exporters and importers worldwide — helping them trade with confidence into the world's most challenging markets, and get paid safely and on time."

We believe no trade deal should fail for want of financing or risk coverage. When a client's own banks have limited appetite for emerging-market risk, that is where we come in — connecting them to banks beyond their network with the appetite to get the deal done.

Core Values

The Four Principles That Guide Every Engagement

🎯
Specialism Over Generalism

We do LCs and only LCs. This is not a side service — it is our entire focus. That depth of expertise and hands-on experience is exactly what clients need when a transaction gets complex.

🤝
Ownership & Accountability

When we take on a transaction, we own it completely — rigorous follow-up, direct banker relationships, and personal accountability at every step.

🔍
Transparency & Integrity

We tell clients exactly what is possible and what is not — no over-promising, no false comfort. Our relationships are built on honest, expert counsel.

🌱
Win-Win Philosophy

Every solution is designed so that all parties — exporter, importer, bank — benefit. When a deal works for everyone, it gets done, and it gets done again.

Company Governance

Policies Reflecting Our Commitment to Integrity

Our operating policies reflect the same standards of professionalism and transparency we bring to every client engagement.

Confidentiality Policy

All client information, transaction details, and business intelligence shared with VRITFC is held in strict confidence. We never disclose client identities or transaction specifics without explicit written consent. Confidentiality obligations survive the end of any engagement.

Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Policy

VRITFC maintains full compliance with applicable AML regulations across all jurisdictions in which we operate. We conduct due diligence on all clients and counterparties, and do not facilitate transactions that fail to meet regulatory standards or ethical thresholds.

Know Your Customer (KYC) Policy

All prospective clients undergo a thorough KYC process before engagement. We collect and verify identification, business registration, and beneficial ownership information in accordance with international banking standards and applicable regulatory requirements.

Conflict of Interest Policy

VRITFC identifies and manages potential conflicts of interest proactively. Where a conflict cannot be managed, we disclose it to affected parties and, where necessary, decline the engagement to protect the integrity of our advice.

Data Protection Policy

Client data is stored securely and processed only for the purposes for which it was provided. We maintain data security practices consistent with applicable data protection laws, including GDPR where relevant, and restrict access to authorised personnel only.

Professional Standards Policy

All advice and services are delivered to the highest professional standards. We maintain current knowledge of UCP 600, ISBP 821, URDG 758, and all relevant ICC rules — ensuring our counsel reflects current international best practice at all times.

Get In Touch

Let's Talk About Your Next LC Transaction

Whether you need LC confirmation and discounting arranged, documents prepared or checked, or advice on a complex structure — feel free to reach out. Someone from our team will get in touch with you within 24–48 hours.

Speak With Us

Reach out directly — by phone, email, or the form. Tell us about your transaction, and we'll tell you how we can help.

📞
Phone / WhatsApp
+91 93429 48318
✉️
Email
vijay@vritfc.com
💼
LinkedIn
Vijay Anand Ramanujam
📍
Head Office
Golden Rays Business Centre, 29A, Lake View Road,
West Mambalam, Chennai – 600 033, India
Typical Enquiries

◆ LC Confirmation
◆ Non-Recourse Discounting / Forfaiting
◆ Traite / Avalised Draft Discounting
◆ UPAS LC / Buyers' Credit / RA (Reimbursement) Financing for Imports
◆ LC Document Checking & Review
◆ Country / Bank Risk Advisory

Send an Enquiry
Tell us about your transaction and we'll respond within 24–48 hours.