Project Financing
Project Financing
Project Financing
Suppliers credit
This is credit guaranteed by the export credit agency, which is made available,
often at a concessional rate of interest, for a fixed period. Repayment is over a
period of 5-10 years from the completion date of the project, and the repayments of
the capital plus interest is secured by negotiable paper such as promissory notes or
bills of exchange. Bank charges, bonds, insurance costs, etc., are usually included
in the project offer if this type of financing is foreseen. The main disadvantage for
the contractor is that no progress payments are made ant that project finance is not
available until the project is completed. The supplier is usually required to assume
some of the risk of financing.
Buyers credit
This is essentially an arrangement between banks whereby a bank in the country of
the contractor enters into a loan agreement with a bank in the country of the client
or in the country in which the work is to be undertaken. Lending banks are
authorized to make progress payments in cash, to the contractor on submission of
invoices together with appropriate paper such as bills of lading. The loan
agreement specifies the conditions under which the loan is to be repaid and bank
charges are paid direct by the lending bank to the borrowing bank.
Direct foreign investment
Direct foreign investment in developing countries has been a major source of
project finance for many industrial plants developed by industrialized counties in
developing countries in developing countries in transaction. Many international
manufacturers in such areas as electronics, textiles and automobile spare parts have
been forced to manufacture products in countries that have low labour costs in
order to be competitive.
In order to encourage the flow of direct foreign investment into developing
countries, the World Bank created the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
(MIGA) in 1988.
MIGAs guarantee program products investors from non-commercial risks of
currency transfer, expropriation, war and civil disturbance. It insures only new
investments, including expansion of existing investments, privatizations and
financial restructuring.
Bilateral funding agencies
A considerable amount of project finance made available in developing
countries and countries in transition in provided direct by agencies from industrial
countries. Many governments will often fund small and medium sized projects out
of their own funds, either directly or indirectly by means of equity investments,