What Does the Term SBLC ‘Lease’ Stand For?

The term SBLC ‘Lease’ or ‘Leased’Standby Letter of Credit is not factually correct. The correct term for SBLC ‘Lease’ is Collateral Transfer. Financial historians suggest the term ‘Leased’ was taken from a Commercial ‘Leasing’ Contract, as it closely resembles a ‘Leased’ Bank Guarantee contract.

The term ‘Leased’ was then subsequently applied to a ‘Leased’ Standby Letter of Credit. Although incorrect the term has been used for many years and is now part of daily financial communications.

Collateral Transfer 

It is a known fact that banks have been reducing their loan books for years. Thus, today it is so much harder for companies to obtain loans and lines of credit. In Switzerland we are lucky to have one of the market leaders in Collateral Transfer.

Collateral Transfer is the means by which a company seeking credit facilities can obtain a SBLC “Lease.” Two parties, the SBLC Provider and another company, (referred to as the beneficiary), will sign a Collateral Transfer Agreement.

The SBLC Provider agrees to “lease” to the beneficiary, usually for one year, a Standby Letter of Credit. The beneficiary agrees to pay the SBLC Provider a fee for “leasing” the Standby Letter of Credit. This is referred to as the Collateral Transfer Fee.

SBLC Monetisation

The reason Standby Letters of Credit are leased is so that they may be monetised. SBLC Monetisation allows companies to obtain loans and lines of credit. A “Leased” Standby Letter of Credit will have the exact same features as a “Leased” Demand Bank Guarantee.

The verbiage within the format will be exactly the same as a “Leased” Demand Bank Guarantee. This verbiage will be absolutely precise and exact. The “Leased” Standby Letter of Credit will be governed by ICC Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees, (URDG 758). It will be payable on first demand.

To monetise the Standby Letter of Credit the SBLC Provider will instruct their bank to transmit the instrument to the beneficiary’s bank. The beneficiary’s bank will apply the Standby Letter of Credit to their account.

Once the beneficiary has taken ownership of the Standby Letter of Credit they can apply for credit facilities. They can approach their bank and offer the instrument as security against a loan or line of credit. Such credit facilities are often referred to as Credit Guarantee Facilities. As stated above the Standby Letter of Credit is now a guarantee of payment. The bank therefore will be happy to approve any loan applications.

SBLC Lease or Collateral Transfer is becoming more and more popular. More and more companies are turning to Collateral Transfer to obtain loans and lines of credit. In this post pandemic world banks are cutting back on their lending making it extremely difficult to obtain credit.

SBLC Lease is not a difficult path to tread. In fact it is a lot easier than most companies imagine. If you are a company suffering cash flow problems, SBLC “Lease” or “Leased” Demand Bank Guarantees may be the answer to your problems.