A banker’s acceptance (or BA) is a financial instrument used to guarantee large future transactions, often in the import/export markets. As a debt instrument, it can function as an investment, commonly traded between large banks and institutional investors on the secondary market. It can trade at a discount to par like U.S. Treasury bills in money markets.
BAs play a key role in facilitating international trade and in broader fixed-income markets. While you may not own an individual banker’s acceptance in your checking account, these instruments help promote sound and liquid markets. Here, you can learn:
• What is a banker’s acceptance and how does it work?
• How can you obtain a banker’s acceptance?
• How do BAs work as investments?
• What are the pros and cons of banker’s acceptance?
What Is Banker’s Acceptance?
A banker’s acceptance (which you may see written as bankers acceptance) is a short-term form of payment guaranteed by a bank; it is often used for international trade transactions. Banks often make money on the spread between the buy and sell price on a fixed-income asset or through fees and commissions. BAs commonly have a maturity of between 30 and 180 days and trade at a discount to par. Functioning like a post-dated check, they are seen as a relatively safe method of payment for large transactions. BAs are considered short-term debt instruments.
Characteristics of Banker’s Acceptance
Here are some more details about banker’s acceptance and how these instruments work.
• The BA is issued and priced based on the creditworthiness of the issuing bank. An investment banker earns a commission for making the transaction.
• Only customers with a strong credit history can access the BA market. These entities are often corporations involved in international trading (import/export) markets.
• A banker’s acceptance can also be highly marketable and liquid, allowing money to transfer from one bank to another.
How Can Someone Obtain a Banker’s Acceptance?
Not all banks offer BAs. Businesses with a good relationship with a large bank can obtain a banker’s acceptance. It can be an appealing product for an institution entering a large-value transaction. Like signing a check to someone, the account holder must have enough cash to execute the transaction. More than a simple checking account transaction, though, obtaining a BA typically requires an amount of credit to be detailed. There are usually fees involved in obtaining a BA, too.
Banker’s Acceptance as Checks
Think of a banker’s acceptance as a certified check. It’s a relatively safe way to do a transaction. The money owed is guaranteed on a specific date listed on the BA bill. Credit analysis is usually done to verify the creditworthiness of the issuer, so it’s a bit different than how a bank will verify a check before you deposit it.
BAs are frequently used to facilitate the international trading of goods. A buyer of imported products can issue a BA with a payment date after a shipment is scheduled to be delivered. The seller exporting can then take payment before finalizing the shipment. The exporter in this case can hold the BA to maturity or sell it on the secondary market. Unlike a check, the BA is backed by the guarantee of the bank, not an individual.
Banker’s Acceptance as Investments
Aside from the import/export market, bankers’ acceptances are used commonly in the investment world. Buyers might purchase a BA and hold it to maturity to effectively earn a rate of return on short-term money. Since BAs are seen as very low-risk products, they are used as a cash-like security. Still, retail consumers usually won’t find the ability to purchase a BA in an online or traditional retail bank.
Recommended: What are Some Safe Types of Investments?
Benefits of Banker’s Acceptance
There are a number of positive aspects of bankers’ acceptances to consider.
Provides Seller Assurances Against Default
Backed by the guarantee of a bank, a banker’s acceptance is regarded as a high-quality fixed-income security that is often liquid and highly marketable. For importers and exporters, financial transactions can be made to facilitate international trading of goods without the risk that one party goes bust.
Buyer Does Not Have to Prepay for Goods
A banker’s acceptance works like a promissory note and the buyer does not have to prepay. Liability can immediately transfer from the issuer of the banker’s acceptance to the bank. The payment is likely debited only on the due date.
More Likely to Go Through as They Are Only Available to Customers with Good Credit
Part of the process of issuing a banker’s acceptance is usually having a good credit standing and a relationship with a major bank. Since high-risk customers might not be considered, there is strong confidence in BAs traded. There would be no need for the exporting company to worry about default risk; that lies with the banker. While individual investors often do not engage in BA trading, there are important traditional banking alternatives that feature financial solutions to help facilitate transactions.
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Drawbacks of Banker’s Acceptance
While there are many positive aspects of bankers’ acceptances, there are still some risks for those involved in the transaction and trading of BAs. Consider the following:
Bank May Require Buyer to Post Collateral to Hedge Risk
Collateral is sometimes required for a deal to happen. Collateral provides a backstop should the importer be unable to pay. It can reduce risks to the bank and expedites the deal. Think of it like seller concessions to get a deal done, though collateral is generally not used when buying and selling a home.
Buyer May Default, Which Is Why Some Banks Do Not Issue Banker’s Acceptance
With banker’s acceptance, the bank accepts default risk, which can be a downside. The issuing bank typically must honor the payment terms even if the account holder, perhaps an importing/exporting corporation, does not have the cash on the payment date. Not all banks choose to be in this market due to the risk that the buyer could default.
Potential Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk means an individual or financial institution cannot meet its debt obligations in the short term. Investors may not encounter liquidity risk with a banker’s acceptance instrument, but the issuing bank could have liquidity risk from the importer who must pay. This may be a key consideration for a bank backstopping a BA. The secondary market for banker’s acceptance products remains highly liquid.
Banking With SoFi
A banker’s acceptance is a debt instrument that plays a key role in well-functioning capital markets. BAs help facilitate international trade through bank guarantees. Knowing about this important fixed-income product type can help individuals understand financial markets and institutions and make wise investment choices.
Want to boost your everyday banking? You can open an online bank account today with direct deposit and earn a competitive APY with our Checking and Savings accounts. What’s more, there are no account fees and no ATM fees at more than 55,000 Allpoint network ATMs worldwide. Members earn cash-back rewards and have access to SoFi’s convenient mobile banking app.
FAQ
How does a banker’s acceptance work?
A banker’s acceptance works by helping facilitate import and export transactions so that risk is minimized. It is a negotiable note that works similarly to a post-dated check. A bank guarantees payment for the transaction, rather than the individual account holder.
Is a banker’s acceptance a money market instrument?
Yes. A banker’s acceptance (BA) is a money market instrument in addition to smoothing international import/export transactions. A BA typically facilitates relatively safe financial transactions that are also traded with high liquidity on the secondary market. The stronger the credit quality of the bank issuing the banker’s acceptance, the safer and more liquid the security tends to be.
What is a banker’s acceptance rate?
A banker’s acceptance rate is the market rate at which the instrument trades. Like U.S. Treasury bills, a banker’s acceptance is typically priced at a discount to par. The difference between the discount and par is essentially the return the holder will receive if they hold it until the payment date.
What is the difference between banker’s acceptance and commercial paper?
A banker’s acceptance and commercial paper are similar instruments in that they are both low-risk fixed-income products. A key difference, though, is that a banker’s acceptance has the unconditional guarantee of the issuing bank and is used for international trade. Commercial paper, on the other hand, pays a fixed rate like a bond. Commercial paper can have a maturity out to a year (which is longer than a BA), and it is used to finance a firm’s short-term capital projects, not the movement of international goods.
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