Why should you opt for a digital bill of exchange?

In the world of international trade, the sellers are entitled to receive a certain amount of payment from the buyer for selling a certain product to the buyer. Generally, most sellers prefer immediate payment or in some cases advance payment. However, this is not possible at all times, and for this reason, many sellers would have to sell their goods to the buyers in the expectation that the buyer will make the complete payment in the future.

But this can be very risky and in case of the buyer defaults then the seller might not receive the payment at all. For this reason, in recent times, a lot of sellers opt for bills of exchange to make sure that they get their due payment. A bill of exchange is a document that makes sure that the buyer makes the complete payment on time to the seller. With the advent of the internet, many financial institutes are also offering a digital bill of exchange which are much easier to get compared to a traditional bill of exchange.

A bill of exchange is a legal document and hence if you opt for a bill of exchange then the buyer will be bound by law to make the payment in time. This way, you can almost nullify the risk and can make sure that you receive the payment in time. In case the buyer is unable to make the payment then the bill of exchange will serve as legal evidence of the debt.

A digital bill of exchange is also easy and convenient to acquire as you would not have to visit any physical place for getting the document and can do all the world online. 

The bill of exchange also specified all the terms and conditions related to the payment. The terms and conditions include the total amount payable, time of payment, mode of payment, place of payment, and any kind of interest. Hence, all of these specifications will make sure that there are no abnormalities in the payment as well.

For all these reasons, if you are involved in international trade then you should also consider opting for a bill of exchange. 

Important points about bill avalisation that you should know

A lot of trading businesses opt for avalisation bills of exchange to make their payments more secure. An avalised bill of exchange is a type of bank guarantee that is used by trading businesses to partially or fully pay a bill if the drawer of the bill is unable to make the payment in time. Hence, bill avalisation makes the payment more secure and the trading businesses can be more sure that they will receive the payment they deserve in time. 

If you are also planning to opt for bill avalisation then you should first  know the following important point: 

 

It is vital that you obtain the aval from a financial institution before the creditor loses control of the goods. This is generally achieved by making delays in the shipment of the goods until the avalised bill has been received. Other than this, it can also be achieved by making sure that the documents of title to the goods, which is a full set of original Bills of Lading, remain under their control until receiving the avalised bill. This can be achieved by sending the necessary documents through the banks on a ‘collection’ basis as mentioned above. 

 

Another point that you should remember is that avalisation can only apply to term bills of exchange that mature at a future date. This means, if the maturation date of the bill of exchange has already passed then it can not be availed. 

 

You should also know that once the bill has been avalised by the banks, it cannot be canceled without the authority of the drawer and it acts as an unconditional guarantee for the drawer. This rule of avalisation benefits the creditor greatly but is considered to be less advantageous to the debtor. 

 

The aval is only as good as the standing of the bank giving it. The financial strength of the bank and the country in which the aval is arranged should be checked with your bankers.

 

Other than this, the drawer is also recommended to obtain the agreement of the drawee to arrange for their bankers to avalise the bill before presenting it for acceptance.