A collateral-backed bridging facility that covers the full landed cost of a shipment — from insurance and freight to the buyer's doorstep — so African gold sellers can deliver CIP with confidence, and buyers can secure supply without tying up working capital.
Turn confirmed collateral into working capital.
Bridge Finance is a short-term bridging facility secured against the underlying shipment or agreed collateral. It is designed specifically for the African precious metals export market, where the gap between dispatch and final settlement can freeze cash flow and kill otherwise sound deals.
We do not buy gold. We do not take equity. We provide structured liquidity against the transaction itself — releasing capital to cover the costs, insurance and freight required to move the shipment to the buyer's doorstep under agreed CIP terms.
From origin to the buyer's doorstep.
The facility is purpose-built to cover the last-mile costs that often stall African gold exports.
Freight
Air or secure courier freight from origin to the buyer's nominated destination, including handling, routing and chain-of-custody documentation.
Insurance
All-risks transit insurance covering the full declared value of the shipment from handover to delivery at the buyer's doorstep.
Costs & Fees
Refining, assaying, logistics coordination, security, customs documentation and any other transaction costs required to land the shipment.
CIP Delivery
A facility structured so the seller can quote and deliver on a cost, insurance and freight basis — reducing buyer friction and accelerating closure.
A disciplined four-stage process.
Every Bridge Finance transaction follows the same independent governance that defines our transaction management work.
Due Diligence
We verify the buyer, seller, transaction history, collateral provenance and destination terms. No facility is approved without a clean risk assessment.
Collateral Structure
The facility is secured against the shipment or an agreed form of collateral. Security documents, insurance cover and escrow mechanics are agreed upfront.
Capital Released
Approved capital is released directly to cover freight, insurance and associated costs — never as unrestricted cash to either party.
Shipment & Settlement
The shipment moves to the buyer's doorstep. On delivery and settlement, the facility is repaid and any surplus released to the seller.
Secured against the deal, not a balance sheet.
Bridge Finance is a collateral-based bridging loan, not an unsecured trade advance. The facility is backed by the physical shipment and/or a mutually acceptable security package, which may include:
- Pledge or assignment over the shipment in transit
- Insurance proceeds and airway bill / bill of lading control
- Escrow or payment-direction mechanisms
- Buyer confirmation of receipt and settlement terms
- Seller history, assay reports and export documentation
Normal CIP — Collateral-Secured Freight
A conventional seller-led CIP delivery in which the buyer covers approved freight, cargo insurance and delivery costs only after the seller has lodged separate gold collateral, independently assayed and held in controlled custody at a maximum 75% loan-to-value.
The buyer advances no more than 75% of verified collateral value. No freight capital is released until the collateral is assayed, valued and secured.
Separate collateral — never the sale cargo — presented for independent assay, valuation and controlled custody.
Approved freight costs advanced up to 75% of verified collateral value, paid directly to authorised providers.
Verified invoices, milestone evidence, custody trail, shipment monitoring and close-out.
- 01Commercial alignment — SPA, fee instruments, facility and security documentation, eligible costs and the 75% LTV cap.
- 02Seller collateral verification — weight, purity, images, samples, unique lot identifiers and agreed valuation.
- 03Shipment readiness — identity, authority, title and product verified; route, refinery, carrier, insurer and quotations confirmed.
- 04Controlled custody & security — collateral sealed into approved custody under pledge, acknowledgement and release mandate.
- 05Buyer financing approval & payment — conditions precedent checked, LTV confirmed, approved providers paid directly.
- 06Export, carriage & insurance — customs completed, cargo handed to the carrier, movement and seals monitored.
- 07Destination receipt & final assay — seals and weights reconciled, final smelt, sample and settlement calculation.
- 08Settlement & repayment — seller and authorised parties settled; deployed freight capital and charges repaid.
- 09Collateral release & close-out — authorised discharge after cleared repayment, then the final close-out pack.
- Collateral title, value or custody unconfirmed
- Proposed advance exceeds the 75% LTV cap
- Sale cargo cannot be reconciled
- Unverified invoice or beneficiary
- Missing permit, insurance, carrier acceptance or customs release
- Compromised seals or custody records
Verified collateral first. Restricted payment second. Repayment and authorised discharge before collateral release.
Hybrid CIP — Buyer-Controlled Aircraft
A controlled Carriage and Insurance Paid To procedure in which the seller prepares the commodity for lawful export and meets the agreed CIP carriage and insurance obligations, while the buyer provides its own aircraft and stays directly engaged through verification, custody transfer, uplift, destination assay and settlement.
No aircraft uplift occurs until commodity identity, independent origin assay, export documentation, insurance, customs release, security arrangements and the chain of custody are all confirmed.
Title, product, origin assay, permits, statutory payments, insurance and lawful customs release.
Aircraft, crew, flight plan, representatives, cargo acceptance, uplift and destination receipt.
Procedure, verification sequence, communications, exceptions, custody evidence and settlement.
- 01Commercial alignment — product, quantity, price formula, named destination, CIP procedure and executed SPA.
- 02Aircraft & mission planning — registration, operator, crew, capacity, flight plan, travelling representatives and destination refinery.
- 03Origin product verification — seller identity, authority, title and availability reconciled to the SPA and lot record.
- 04Independent origin assay — documented custody, weighing, smelting, testing, bar identifiers and tamper-evident seals.
- 05Export pack & insurance — permits, declarations, statutory charges, matching insurance and customs release.
- 06Secure movement to aircraft — approved secure transport with seal, weight and document reconciliation airside.
- 07Aircraft acceptance & uplift — buyer crew accepts only after final checklist clearance; handover record signed.
- 08Destination receipt & final assay — direct transfer to the approved refinery; final report and settlement calculation.
- 09Settlement & close-out — payment against final assay, reconciled documents and a retained transaction file.
- Product identity or weight cannot be reconciled
- Title or authority disputed
- Assay results outside agreed tolerance
- Missing permit, customs release, insurance or aviation approval
- Compromised seals or custody records
- Settlement capability unconfirmed
The buyer's aircraft increases visibility and transport control; it never removes the need for lawful export readiness and documented custody at every stage.
For every party that needs the shipment to move.
African Gold Sellers
Exporters who have a confirmed buyer but need liquidity to cover freight and insurance before settlement.
International Buyers
Refineries, banks and end buyers who want CIP delivery terms without financing the shipment upfront.
Trade Coordinators
Aggregators and logistics partners who need a reliable capital partner to close complex cross-border shipments.
Discuss a Bridge Finance facility for your next shipment.
Every facility is bespoke, governed by a term sheet and approved only after independent due diligence. Start with a confidential conversation.