International commercial payments may be broadly grouped into the following categories: (1) cash, (2) open accounts, (3) bills of exchange, and (4) letters of credit. 1. Cash Cash is both a method of payment and a term of payment, but as a method of payment it is rarely used in international marketing. As a method of payment, the international marketing firm may use cheques like domestic trade. If accounts are maintained in banks in various countries, cheques may be drawn and paid in a variety of currencies or cash may be remitted by means of an international money order for small amounts. Banks in India have deposit accounts abroad, and foreign banks have deposit accounts in Indian banks. Funds may be paid from any of these accounts for purposes of financing trade, yet an exporter in India receives rupees for the merchandise that is sold, regardless of whether the price Continue reading
International Trade Finance
History of Exchange Rate System
The world exchange rate systems of the world have it own history shows that the world community has in fact change from the fixed exchange rates system to floating exchange rate system. There are different combinations of fixed exchange rate systems as well as floating exchange rates exist currently, the created for exchange rate regulating together with specific some economical instruments also. Commodity money is a system that the most early existing in this world. This system happened when the development of production as well as a number of labor divisions. When appeared coins having an intrinsic value but not linked with commodity, until the 17th century there was no other monetary system exist. The value of the coin usually associated and combined with the gold in the coin with its content. The content of gold that in the coin can be found their exchange rate between different currencies and Continue reading
Factor Proportions Theory of International Trade
Almost after a century and a quarter of the classical version of the theory of international trade, two Swedish economists, Eli Heckscher and Bertil Ohlin, propounded a theory that is known as the factor endowment theory or the factor proportions theory. In fact, it was Eli Heckscher (1919) who mooted the notion of a country’s comparative advantage (disadvantage) based on relative abundance (scarcity) of factors of production. Later on, his student, Bertil Ohlin (1933) developed this notion of relative factor abundance into a theory of the pattern of international trade. Factor Proportions theory of international trade explains that in a two-country, two-factor, and two-commodity framework different countries are endowed with varying proportions of different factors of production. Some countries have large populations and large labour resources. Thus, a country with a large labour force will be able to produce the goods at a lower cost using a labour intensive mode Continue reading
Export Bills of Exchange
Export Bills of Exchange are the drafts or bills of exchange, drawn by the shipper of goods or the provider of services in one country, on people in another country who are buying the goods or using the services, that constitute the chief supply of international currency. A draft or a bill of exchange performs two or three functions. A draft payable at first sight is a demand for payment due and a receipt for payment made. A draft payable at some future period after sight becomes a demand for payment by the seller, a promise of payment by the buyer on the agreed date, and a receipt for payment after such payment has been made. The person who makes out the draft (i.e., the person who receives the money) is said to draw the draft and is called the drawer. The person to whom the draft is addressed and Continue reading
Translation Exposure Management in International Finance
Translation (accounting) exposure arises from the need to, for purposes of reporting and consolidation, to convert the financial statements of foreign operations from the local currency (LC) involved to the home currency (HC). If exchange rates have changed since the previous reporting period, this translation, or restatement, of those assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, gains and losses that are denominated in foreign currencies will result in foreign exchange gains or losses. The most common means of protecting against translation exposure is balance sheet hedging. This involves attempting equalize exposed assets and liabilities. For example, a company may try to reduce its foreign currency denominated assets if it fears a devaluation of the overseas currency, by running down cash balances, chasing debtors and reducing stock levels. At the same time it might increase its liabilities by borrowing in the local currency and slowing down payment to creditors. If it can equate its Continue reading
Introduction to International Trade Finance
Financing international trade is a complex process, involving many variables, ranging from corporate policy and marketing strategy to exchange risk and general borrowing conditions. The reason behind the complexity of financing international trade is that trade involves two countries with different currencies and jurisdictions. In addition, payments must be made at a distance and across time, so the exporter, the importer, or both need credit during part or all of the period form the initial manufacture of goods by the exporting firm to the time of the final sale and collection by the importer. The main objective of a good corporate export financing policy should be financing the greatest possible amount of sales with the greatest possible management simplicity and with minimal risk. Following are among the important considerations in the choice of a strategy for trade financing: The nature of good in question. Capital goods usually require medium to Continue reading