Institution details
Export Finance Australia (EFA) (EFA)
Key facts
- Established in 1991
- Ownership: Public
- Level 10, Export House
- +61 2 8273 5333
- http://www.efic.gov.au
Latest update: 03/12/2021
rating type | rating agency | type | rating |
---|---|---|---|
Institution rating | S&P | Foreign currency | AAA |
Country rating | S&P | Local currency | AAA |
Products
- Small business export loan
- Export credit loan and other SME products
- Export working capital guarantee
- Bond and letter of credit products
- Medium-term payments insurance
- Buyer credit (large exporters and project finance products)
a. Small business export loan
Unsecured loan to support a single or multiple export orders, Amounts from AUD 20,000 up to AUD 350,000
Credit terms:
- Borrowing limit: 80% of export contract or purchase order
- Tenors of 3, 6, 9, or 12 months
- Monthly repayments required
Eligibility:
- Company annual revenue between AUD 250,000 and AUD 10 million
- Company must have been in business for 2 years
- Content: Over 33% of contract value should be Australian-owned intellectual property, labor, manufacturing, services, product design, components, and raw materials
Fees:
- AUD 100 application fee
- AUD 1,000 credit assessment fee
- The loan is unsecured, interest rate are approximately 9%"
Approval:
- Apply online in as little as 30 mins, with funds available in as little as 9 business days
- Conditional approval: ability to submit application and receive a 90-day conditional approval if haven’t secured an export-related contract
b. Export credit loan and other SME products
Export credit loan:
Working capital loan provided to SMEs to help fulfill overseas contracts when commercial banks will not lend. Proceeds may be applied to execute specific contracts or purchase orders, multiple export contracts with different buyers, and SME’s involvement in an export-related supply chain. Available in multiple currencies and tailored repayment terms are possible
Payments insurance:
- Applies when export payment period exceeds 2 years
- Political risk cover: 100%
- Commercial risk cover: 90%
Overseas direct investment:
- The agency guarantees debt of Australian companies to expand overseas
- Australian company must have been in business for 2 years
Export venture debt:
- For companies experiencing high growth that need working capital to support export contracts
- Criteria: Minimum one round of external investment; funding is required for a secured export contract; minimum funding need of AUD 500,000; the company is unable to access finance support from a commercial bank; the company has capital raising event in view in the next 6–12 months
- Eligibility: Australian content is at least 33% of contract value
c. Export working capital guarantee
Working capital guarantee to exporter’s bank available preor post-shipment
Eligibility:
- SMEs and all qualified Australian exporters
- Revenues greater than AUD 250,000
- Export contract or purchase order in place, but unable to secure bank financing
- Amount: Minimum AUD 100,000
- Currencies: AUD, EUR, USD, and GBP
Pricing:
- Margin: 3%–5% per annum
- Application fee: Greater of AUD 5,000 or 1% of loan value
- Interest rate: Determined by guaranteed lender
d. Bond and letter of credit products
Issue bonds directly or provide a guarantee to a bank issuing the bond. Types of bonds:
- Advance payment
- performance, warranty
- surety bonds
The agency will provide documentary credit guarantee to exporter’s issuing bank
e. Medium-term payments insurance
Covers payment period exceeding 2 years. Maximum support:
- Political risk: 100%
- Commercial risk: 90%
f. Buyer credit (large exporters and project finance products)
Direct loans and loan guarantees to buyers of Australian exporters with annual turnovers exceeding AUD 150 million. Buyers can be offshore companies, government entities, or project finance transactions
Financing modalities:
- Direct loans
- Export financing guarantee to cover commercial bank loan
Eligibility:
- If at least 50% of the supply contract is Australian content, the supply contract is deemed to have substantial Australian content
- If Australian content is greater than 25% and less than 50% of the supply contract, then the agency determines whether there is substantial Australian content based on the relative value of Australian content versus the content from each foreign country in the supply contract
- If there is substantial Australian content, then financing up to 85% of the exported value plus up to 30% of the exported value for local cost
- If there is no substantial Australian content, then the agency only finances the Australian content in the supply contract
Modality | Tenor | Cover type | coverage |
---|---|---|---|
Insurance | Short/medium-term | Comprehensive | 90% |
Insurance | Short/medium-term | Political | 100% |
Performance highlights
What's new?
- In June 2021, the Australian government announced that it will seek to provide us with broade powers to finance transactions that serve Australia’s national interests and priorities
- In August 2021, the Australian government introduced legislation that will enable the agency to provide equity finance in certain circumstances.
- Export Finance Australia adheres to the Equator Principles
- Transactions must adhere to the agency’s Human Rights Statement
- Board approval required for transactions greater than AUD 50 million
- National Interest Account transactions involve a category of transactions where the Commonwealth of Australia receives income from Export Finance Australia and must reimburse the agency for any losses
- Export Finance Australia may provide financing for domestic exported-related transactions located in the Northern Territory of Australia
- The agency provides financing when it deems that there are “market gaps,” which means that commercial finance is unavailable or insufficient to meet the financing needs of the borrower