Questions & Answers

When exporting goods to buyers overseas, suppliers typically wait 30 - 120 days for payment. Such ‘deferred payment’ is normal in international trade but it ties up capital and can have a crippling effect on cash flow and business growth.

Invoice financing (also known as ‘invoice factoring’) provides the exporter with immediate payment of that debt – by transferring money to the supplier as soon as the goods are shipped and collecting money later from the buyer. In this way, the supplier gets the cash without delay and is protected against non-payment.

Read more about invoice financing here.

Stenn offers ‘reverse factoring’ to assist buyers. In this scenario, a buyer can ask a supplier to apply for financing on a transaction they are negotiating. This will mean that the supplier is paid when goods are shipped on an invoice which the buyer will not have to settle until, perhaps, 90, 120 or even 180 days later.

There are several possible advantages for the buyer in this:

• Scenario 1: The supplier and buyer already trade on a ‘deferred payment’ basis, but the buyer is able to obtain much better prices from the supplier if the invoice can be settled when goods are shipped.
• Scenario 2: The supplier and buyer already trade on a ‘payment upon shipment’ basis, but the buyer would prefer to move to ‘deferred payments’ to ease its cash flow and benefit from the goods before payment. However, the supplier is unwilling to tie up its working capital for months and take on the risk of non-payment.
• Scenario 3: The buyer would like to make a first purchase from a new supplier, but the supplier will not agree to deferred payments because of the risk of non-payment with an unknown buyer. The supplier wants to be paid when goods are shipped.

In each of these scenarios, reverse factoring eases cash flow for both parties, eliminates the risk of non-payment and enables new trade deals to be approached with confidence in competitive international markets.

Find out more in this video from Stenn’s Global Head of Credit.

Stenn’s online invoice financing is much faster than a bank (assessment is quick and funds are paid within 48 hours of only two documents being signed) and is better than a loan (it has no influence on credit history, needs no collateral, and requires no lengthy applications and interviews).

It also offers a much higher limit than bank credit typically would - up to $10 million (USD) per buyer - and covers you against the risk of your buyer failing to pay your invoice.

It can also give smaller companies tremendous leverage. For example, a company with assets of only $50 000 (USD) could finance a shipment of goods worth $500 000 (USD) if the buyer fits the criteria.

Finally, Stenn specializes in financing cross-border trade. Very often banks do not finance international deals because they don’t work in jurisdictions other than their home countries.

Read more about invoice financing here.

Buyers/importers seeking to finance turnover must demonstrate good credit standing through profitability, positive equity and a reasonable balance. They will need to meet criteria based on the following two scenarios:

Case 1: US-based companies looking for financing up to $500 000 (USD) will need to have been in business for at least 12 months and have an annual sales turnover of at least $500 000 (USD).

Case 2: A Euro-based or North American company looking for finance up to $10 million (USD) will need to have been in business for at least 12 months and have an annual sales turnover of at least $3 million (USD).

We cannot support companies that have filed for insolvency in the past two years.

Stenn can finance invoices for a wide range of consumer or professional goods, such as: apparel, automotive parts, electronics, finished goods, food products and ingredients, machinery, equipment, metals, packaging, etc. We can also finance professional services such as software development and consultancy.

Stenn cannot finance invoices connected with oil, gas or coal; conflict minerals; sanctioned goods; weapons and firearms; precious metals.

Your supplier will be an exporter in a country free of sanctions, cannot be one of your affiliated companies or have been forced into bankruptcy.

Invoice financing combines cash-flow control and risk control into one simple package. Credit insurance, meanwhile, is limited only to payment protection in the event of buyer default or bankruptcy.

With credit insurance, if the buyer defaults the supplier may wait months to receive funds and the claim process is often paperwork-intensive. With Stenn’s non-recourse factoring, there is no risk and no time-consuming claim to make in the event of a buyer defaulting. The Stenn platform provides non-payment protection for the supplier and takes the risk.

Finally, Stenn allows suppliers to finance only a single invoice if they wish to. Credit insurance will often require them to cover an entire ledger.

• Stenn is the largest and fastest-growing online platform for financing small and medium-size businesses (SMEs) engaged in international trade.
• We provide rapid financing services in 74 countries.
• Stenn is fast, automated and easy to use. Using Stenn.com you can apply for financing from $10 000 to $10 million (USD) by signing only two documents.
• We assume your risk. You will not have to repay your finance if the buyer defaults.
• Stenn’s financing fees are extremely competitive.
• We specialize in financing sectors and geographic regions that other providers can’t, or won’t, serve.
• Stenn can finance invoices within hours, compared to weeks (or even months) with other organizations.
• We advance at least 90% of invoice face value, while competitors typically advance 70-80%.

Find out more in this video from our founder.

Stenn is a London-based FinTech that delivers rapid finance to SMEs in global supply chains.

Its high-tech platform processes onboarding, compliance (Know Your Client/Anti-Money Laundering) and risk management in one portal and can unlock working capital within 48 hours. This combination of advanced technology and commercial experience means that Stenn can provide cross-border funding solutions in transactions that banks may refuse.

Stenn specializes in supporting SMEs in 74 countries, has financed over $10 Billion (USD) since 2015 and is backed by financial giants like HSBC, Barclays, Natixis, Goldman Sachs and many others.

Read more here.

Find out more in this video from our founder.

• Stenn is based in London and backed by financial giants like HSBC, Barclays, Natixis, Goldman Sachs, and many others.
• We have financed over $10 Billion (USD) of invoices since our formation in 2015.
• Stenn has launched a variety of programs to help small and medium-size companies (SMEs) drive international trade in the developing world.
• We are regularly mentioned in the financial press.
• Stenn is run by a seasoned team of experts from the finance, FinTech, credit, and risk mitigation sectors. Meet our team here

1. You, the supplier, create an account on stenn.com.
2. Enter your buyer’s name and assess its financing limit.
3. You then submit your invoice and shipping document(s) (e.g. Bill of Lading, Air waybill, CMR documents) to the platform.
4. As soon as your invoice and shipping document are approved, you will get two documents - Stenn’s Agreement and a Notice of Assignment for the buyer.
5. You sign the Agreement and your buyer signs the Notice of Assignment.
6. We send a payment of 90% of the invoice’s face value to your bank account. We hold the remaining 10% as a reserve for our fees, potential off-sets, late payment charges, etc.
7. At the due date of the invoice, the buyer pays the invoice money to Stenn and we pay you the balance of any money due, less our fees.

In those instances when we are required to utilize trade credit insurance, we charge a fee of 0.32% applied to the face value of each invoice regardless of payment terms (so charges are the same for 30-day invoices as they would be with 90-day invoices). There are no other hidden charges.

Find out more in this video from Stenn’s founder.

Stenn will finance international invoices for both ‘services’ and ‘goods’.

‘Services’ includes industries such as software development and consulting.

‘Goods’ includes most industries dealing in consumer goods, such as:

• Electronics
• Clothing
• Furniture
• Toys
• FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods)
• Automotive parts,
• Food and ingredients, etc.

Stenn will not finance invoices connected with the following industries: oil, gas or coal; conflict minerals; sanctioned goods; weapons and firearms; precious metals.

If you are not sure whether an industry is acceptable for our services, please contact our sales managers for more details or watch the videos below.

Find out more about sellers/exporters in this video from Stenn’s Global Head of Credit.

Find out more about buyers/importers in this video from Stenn’s Global Head of Credit.

Only two documents will need a signature – an Agreement with Stenn’s Financing Platform and a Notice of Assignment with the buyer.

When applying for finance, suppliers submit the invoice and shipping document(s) (e.g. Bill of Lading, Air waybill, CMR documents). We will then assess the application and, if accepted, will issue the two documents for signature.

No, Stenn's digital platform is fully automated and completely online. You apply online, sign documents online and are paid by bank transfer.

We use DocuSign for signing documents.