- Last Updated: 3 June 2026
Trade and Import Finance Australia
Purchase material goods from international and domestic suppliers. Pay your suppliers early while extending your payment terms.*
- Pay suppliers upfront without impacting working capital
- The lender pays your supplier
- Get 60 to 210 days terms
- Maintain good supplier relationships and preserve working capital
How to Apply for Trade and Import Finance with Dark Horse Financial
1
Contact Our Team
Fill out our online form to apply for trade and import finance. One of our specialists will get in touch with you fast to understand your situation and make a recommendation.
2
Submit Application
We’ll expertly handle your application from start to finish. Some lenders can approve trade and import finance facilities in a few days.
3
Get Funded
Once approved, you get access to a line of credit facility that you can draw from whenever you purchase goods from your suppliers.
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What is Trade and Import Finance?
Trade and import finance refers to a line of credit solution for businesses purchasing material supplies from either within Australia or overseas.
The capital requirement to purchase inventory or material supplies in bulk is a capital burden that is sometimes too hard for businesses to fulfill. The benefit of trade finance is it allows you to preserve your capital and pay for your material supplies once they’ve been converted into saleable goods and services.
With this type of financing, businesses can use a pre approved line of credit to pay for materials from overseas suppliers. Depending on the terms of your facility you can have around 60 to 210 days to repay your credit. Banks will usually have longer terms.
How Trade and Import Finance Works
Trade Finance works by providing an extension to supplier terms. It supports cash flow by creating the potential for you to pay for supplies after they’ve contributed to your sales. This works as follows:
- You apply for a trade and import finance facility, which is essentially a line of credit to pay for material supplies.
- You order goods (via either local or international suppliers) and forward the invoice to your financier.
- The lender pays your supplier’s invoice.
- Depending on the terms of your facility you could have 60 to 210 days to repay the trade bill associated with each drawdown. This allows for your supplies to transit and convert to sales.
- Trade finance can often be linked with an invoice finance facility, which can payout the trade finance and extend supplier terms even further.
Who Benefits from Trade and Import Finance?
Trade and import finance is particularly beneficial for businesses in industries such as manufacturing, construction, and retail, or any business that relies heavily on material inputs. No matter the size of your business, if domestic or international procurement of materials is a part of your strategy, trade finance could be an essential tool for you.
Why is Trade and Import Finance Important?
It gives businesses time to pay suppliers.
With trade finance, you have anywhere from 60 to 210 days to repay each trade bill. This timeframe is usually longer than many suppliers’ credit terms.
It helps businesses foster good relationships with their suppliers.
Finding and keeping a good relationship with suppliers is crucial for businesses. Paying on time can significantly improve your relationship with overseas suppliers, opening up the possibility for negotiations when it comes to rates and credit terms.
It helps businesses preserve working capital.
Without financing, businesses will have to pay for large orders of material goods with their cash reserves. With trade and import finance, businesses can use a line of credit to pay for imported goods. This means a business owner can preserve their working capital to support other expenses.
It allows businesses to do more than what their cash flow allows.
Trade and import finance enables businesses to do more, which wouldn’t be possible if they relied solely on their cash flow. They can purchase more materials or choose suppliers that provide higher-quality goods. They can also expand their products and services.
It gives businesses access to better materials for lower prices.
In some cases, the right products are found outside of Australia and can be purchased for lower prices, too. Trade and import finance makes it possible to buy a large amount of these higher quality goods, which could help you gain an advantage over competitors.
Using Trade and Import Finance for Equipment Purchases
Although most businesses use trade and import finance for buying raw materials, it is possible to use it for equipment purchases as well. Many essential machinery and equipment are manufactured outside of Australia. For businesses interested in sourcing equipment from overseas, an import line of credit can help cover the large upfront cost. Once the equipment is in Australia and has cleared customs, we can then help you use equipment finance to pay out the import line of credit.
Through this method, you use trade and import finance to get the equipment you need into the country. Then, the equipment finance allows you to pay off the cost with a chattel mortgage with a loan term up to 7 years.
Case Study: Enhancing Supply Chain Efficiency with Trade Finance
A civil construction company faced significant cash flow challenges due to the upfront costs of materials and labour, alongside delayed payments from clients. This put pressure on their supply chain and risked project delays.
Solution Implemented:
Trade Finance Line of Credit. The company secured a $500,000 trade finance line of credit, enabling timely payments to suppliers and subcontractors. This facility allowed them to purchase necessary materials without immediate cash outflow and helped maintain smooth operations.
Outcomes Achieved:
- Improved Cash Flow. The line of credit alleviated cash flow pressures, ensuring funds were available for operational expenses and new project investments.
- Stronger Supplier Relationships. Paying on time built trust with suppliers, leading to better terms and dependable partnerships.
- Operational Efficiency. With a steady supply chain, the company completed projects on time, building trust and client satisfaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Trade finance is a line of credit facility that helps businesses purchase material supplies while extending payment terms. Meanwhile, a traditional business loan provides a lump sum amount that businesses pay off with interest over time. Funds from a traditional business loan can be used for any genuine business purpose.
Yes, trade finance, also known as import finance is commonly used for international suppliers. Many facilities are designed to support importing goods.
The amount you can access depends on the strength of your business. Larger businesses with a consistent history of profitability can potentially access facilities over $1 million with banks. There are also non bank lenders offering limits under $1 million through a read only view of business bank account statements.
Trade finance is commonly used by importers, wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers, and retailers. Any business that needs to purchase goods before receiving payment from customers can benefit from trade finance solutions.
Yes, trade finance is often combined with other funding solutions such as invoice finance, lines of credit, or equipment finance. This creates a more complete working capital solution that supports your business throughout the year.
Trade finance facilities with limits up to $500,000 can often be set up within a few days. Specialist non bank trade finance lenders will require full documents and a few weeks to settle a facility. Meanwhile, bank facilities can take between 6 and 12 weeks from application to settlement.
Yes, trade finance can be used for both international and domestic suppliers. While it is commonly associated with importing goods, it is equally applicable to local supply chains where payment timing creates cash flow pressure.
Trade finance is not necessarily better, but it allows you to preserve your own cash and use it elsewhere in your business. It can improve liquidity, support growth, and allow you to take on larger opportunities without being constrained by working capital.