International Trade Finance

If you are a businessperson, you probably already have a relationship with a commercial bank which should be the first source of financing you use.  The New York Small Business Resource Center’s Business Owner's Manual has a general section on financing, which is also applicable to financing an import or export business. Listed below are a few Internet sources which may be of particular interest to an exporter:

• SBA Export Working Capital Loan Program
  The U.S. Small Business Administration offers loan guarantees through participating financial institutions of $1,000,000 or less.  SBA Export Express loans are also available for amounts $250,000 and less with a quicker application turn-around time. 
• Export-import Bank of the United States offers loan programs for amounts greater than approximately $1,000,000.
• The U.S. Department of Commerce’s export.gov portal provides a full listing of these two programs in addition to other United States financing schemes.

SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) or your local Small Business Development Center can provide further information and counseling about these and other export/import finance programs.  The U.S. Export Assistance Center is available for information and counseling about these and other export finance opportunities.