Since the global trade finance sector contributes approximately six per cent of the world’s GDP, its overall performance naturally affects the health and prosperity of the world’s economic future.
However, the global trade finance ecosystem has not been as effectively and efficiently working as it should be, especially for the millions of smaller and medium-sized businesses which in effect are crucial for the health and progress of global industry and economy at large.
Financial exclusion, rejection, slow rate of modern technological adoption, un-utilization of digital technologies, supply-chain deficiency and non-transparency and lastly minimal or no support from the local or international trade finance institutions are the major factors responsible for the challenges and issues faced by the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises – MSMEs.
Giant multinational corporations are already leveraging digitalization to minimize the issues and challenges listed earlier and had been able to establish a promising digital network to draw benefits from the global trade and finance facilitation.
Unorganized MSMEs, due to their fragmented and scattered nature and limited scope and scale, were finding it difficult to fully capitalize on such opportunities, until Arpeet Khattod – Founder and Director, and Neha Khattod – Director, entered to level the playing field by establishing Yash Finpro.
A Fully Dedicated and Completely Committed Leader
An investment banker by profession with over Ten years of experience in financial services and consulting, Arpeet has handled financial transactions worth USD 200 million in the area of infrastructure, media and real estate globally.
Arpeet is a Graduate in Commerce and Post Graduate from the University of Wales, UK. Having strong knowledge of strategic business development.
Having a business network in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, the UK and Europe, Yash Finpro is an international trade finance company specializing in structuring trade transactions for a variety of stakeholders including issuing banks, exporters, and importers. With 15+ banks and financial institutions on board to provide trade finance services worldwide.
Opening Trade Finance Ecosystem for Global MSMEs
Arpeet shares, “Yash Finpro was incorporated in March 2013 and we are two founders me and my spouse who are also into equity research and valuation.”
Yash Finpro employs a very focused approach and takes a holistic view of your business, analyzing the assets, and the capital structure to leverage the balance sheet and minimize risk and expense.
“We both were newly married when we came to Mumbai with no formal capital in hand to do business. After a long struggle of one and a half years, we founded Yash Finpro. We were only focusing on retail loans and some corporate loans from Indian banks for clients in all sectors in India,” reveals Arpeet.
By providing you with a single platform to connect to a network of world-class banks and international financial institutions. You are empowered beyond the limitations of your local banks and credit providers.
Arpeet reveals that there were a lot of initial challenges like capital, good clients, and finding a dedicated team or partners to work with as finance business is mostly on referral and goodwill.
“We also never had any setup, so we started from sharing office from initial years in Kandivali and then moving to co-working space in Bandra Kurla Complex till we purchased our own office in Malad,” says Arpeet.
He remembers that it was the time when they got global opportunities to enter new markets and expanded in London, the UK and their first foreign client was based in Spain for whom they arranged Financial Guarantee.
Arpeet says, “So far, we have given our services to clients in India, Ghana, the UK, Australia, Thailand, and UAE across multiple commodity transactions amounting from 500,000 USD to 200,000,000 USD worth of transactions.”
Entrepreneurial Risk Takers
Initially, Yash Finpro was a proprietary firm which was later converted to Pvt Ltd when Arpeet and Neha realized that they can afford to run a private Ltd company and do all its compliances on time.
Arpeet says, “I always wanted to be an Entrepreneur and was always willing to take the risk when I was in my early 20s, I got accidentally into the finance brokerage business. It was a very fortunate accident.”
Today, Yash Finpro provides reliable trade finance services including,
Letter of Credit: It assists you in your trade deal by providing the Documentary Letter of Credit – DLC MT700 on behalf of your company from European banks to conclude imports and exports.
Standby Letter of Credit: Being the direct SBLC Provider, it can support imports and exports by providing a Standby Letter of Credit – SBLC MT760 on behalf of the importer and in favour of the exporter to conclude their trade deals.
Bank Guarantee: Yash Finpro can assist you in your trade by providing Bank Guarantee – BG MT760. This may assist you to realize your business goals without docking your capital. Types of Bank Guarantees include Performance Bonds, Advance Payment Bonds, and Bid (Tender) Bonds.
Bank Comfort Letter: “Being an MT799 provider, we too know that it is very hard to get BCL MT799 on behalf of your company without blocking your working capital. Usually, banks will not issue an MT799 without some form of collateral. So, if you’re not ready with a hefty amount of collateral, then obviously your BCL request will get rejected by your bank.
Here we come in between by facilitating BCL MT799 from our bank account without blocking cash funds! Yash Finpro International has a significant number of trading experience in serving the trade finance needs of clients worldwide,” states Arpeet.
Performance Bank Guarantee: Yash Finpro, the Performance bond providers are here to help you to avail of the specified bond from rated banks without cash margin.
Advance Payment Guarantee: Do you require an Advance Payment Guarantee to acquire Advance Payments? Yash Finpro provides the required Bank Guarantee on behalf of your company from our bank account; this enables you to get the advance payments from your counterparty.
According to Arpeet, there are some primary professional values and qualities like Integrity, a Straightforward attitude, Customized and out of box solutions, Flexible terms of assignment, Innovative ideas of financial structures, and Public relations skills that Yash Finpro’s clients value the most. “Our company is prompt and has always been on the client’s side no matter what the situation was, even in challenging circumstances we have performed in many cases,” feels Arpeet.
Yash Finpro Brand USPs
Client-Centered Approach
“Our clients always come as the first priority to us. i.e., we give utmost importance to our clients who require financial help to achieve their goals in the closure of their deals. We are one of the companies in India who can offer unsecured and secured a foreign letter of credits on the most competitive terms and within the fastest timeframe,” says Arpeet.
Faster Deal Execution
Yash Finpro does its best to conclude deals on time. Arpeet adds further, “We observe our client’s transaction very closely and make sure the instrument should be issued within 72 hours.”
Global Reach
Yash Finpro offers a global platform to help its clients close their deals in a timely manner. And that’s the way, it grows their business. The firm has expanded now in Australia, Africa and Europe apart from the UK.
Relations Across Multiple Banks
Yash Finpro extends its services to its clients on behalf of them from rated banks. This makes it conclude more worthy contracts with their sellers. It has very sound financial institutions backing it to offer the most innovative financial solutions.
Eight Years of Experience and Expertise in Trade Financing
Yash Finpro has eight years of experience in providing trade financing which fulfills the needs and demands of the trade transaction of our client. It has also a good experience and ability to do both debt and equity-based assignments.
Arpeet shares, “We have bagged 100 most influential BFSI awards from world BFSI forum twice in 2018 and 2019.”
Sharing the Trade Secret
Arpeet states, “My advice to budding aspirants would be,
Don’t give up and should have a lot of patience to sustain, grow and overcome all difficult times in your business.
We have faced many such instances where we thought that we might not be able to sustain for longer.”
A Successful Future of Global Trade Finance
Arpeet concludes, “We have followed a lot of technical tools. Especially since the lockdown began. Like in finance it is very difficult to imagine that deals can be done virtually with clients and banks. But fortunately, with the help of zoom, MS Teams and google meet, we were able to mitigate these issues and moved forward. In fact, we grew 2-3 times in terms of our business revenue by adopting good tools and business strategies.”
