Supply chain finance for SMEs: what changed
The WTO and IFC brought development banks together on 16 October to widen finance for SMEs. What it is and how to ask your buyer for it.
Published on 26 October 2026Updated on 26 October 2026
Luis Sanz FiguerasFounder de Exporta.ai
Photo: Pexels
The WTO and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) brought multilateral development banks together on 16 October 2026 to widen supply chain finance in developing economies, mainly for SMEs. For anyone exporting to those markets, it means the buyer may have access to financing that advances payment of your invoices. Ask before quoting.
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What happened on 16 October
The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, held a roundtable on supply chain finance on 16 October 2026. It took place in Bangkok, on the sidelines of the World Bank–IMF Annual Meetings.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala opened the session and IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop co-chaired it. Participants included the WTO's multilateral development banks working group, the International Chamber of Commerce and FCI, the global body for the factoring industry.
The focus was SMEs in low-income and vulnerable economies, which find it harder to obtain financing. The measures discussed include local currency financing, partnerships, capacity-building and better awareness of the financial products available.
Source: OMC – Mesa-redonda sobre financiamento da cadeia de abastecimento, 16 de outubro de 2026Data for 2026
The figures given
Source: OMC – Mesa-redonda sobre financiamento da cadeia de abastecimento, 16 de outubro de 2026Data for 2026
What supply chain finance is
Supply chain finance is the set of products through which a bank or other financier advances a supplier the payment of its invoices, usually relying on the buyer's creditworthiness. A common example is reverse factoring, also known as confirming.
For the supplier, the effect is to be paid before the due date. According to the WTO, this financing improves companies' cash flow and helps them take part in trade.
For the exporter the sale does not change, the payment calendar does. Instead of waiting 60 or 90 days for the buyer to pay, you can receive the amount earlier, in exchange for a cost set by the financier.
What a small exporter can do
The initiative targets developing economies. If you sell to buyers in those markets, it is worth asking whether they work with a supplier finance programme and on what terms.
Ask about the cost too. Advancing an invoice has a price, and it should be compared with other payment and financing routes before accepting it. This news does not say a programme is open for your case. It says the supply is being widened.
Financing does not replace assessing the risk of non-payment. You still need to know the buyer, fix the payment method and put the terms in writing in the offer.
How to ask an emerging-market buyer for an early payment
- 01
Ask if there is a programme
Ask the buyer whether it finances its suppliers through a bank and who manages the programme.
- 02
Get the terms in writing
Cost, advance period, currency and whether you or the buyer bears the cost of the advance.
- 03
Compare with your current financing
Put the cost of the advance next to that of a credit line or a credit insurance policy.
- 04
Prepare the documents
The invoice and the proforma must match the order. A different detail delays the advance.
- 05
Put the term in the offer
Write the agreed payment term and payment method in the offer before shipping the goods.
How Exporta helps you
Exporta helps with the stage before payment: export documents (proforma invoice, packing list) with data that matches the order, and the CRM to record the terms agreed with each buyer and write to them from your own email.
With Find customers you locate importers and distributors in your sector with the person who decides, and with Xport, the Exporta assistant, you organise the steps of an offer. Exporta does not grant financing.
What is supply chain finance?
It is the set of products through which a financier advances a supplier the payment of its invoices, usually relying on the buyer's creditworthiness. The supplier is paid before the due date in exchange for a cost.
What was agreed at the WTO on 16 October?
No new programme was signed. The WTO and the IFC brought together development banks and private partners, who agreed to keep coordinating efforts to widen financing in developing economies.
Can a Spanish SME use these programmes?
The initiative targets developing economies and their SMEs. An exporting company can benefit indirectly if its buyer in those markets gets the financing and advances payment.
Is it the same as a documentary credit?
No. A documentary credit is a bank's payment undertaking against documents. Supply chain finance advances payment of invoices already accepted by the buyer.
Organise your offers and your payment documents
Try Exporta for free and prepare a proforma and packing list with the data of your next order.