Notice. This page is informational and general in nature. Any financing outcome remains subject to lender underwriting, KYC and AML checks, sanctions screening, responsible sourcing diligence, legal documentation, collateral controls, and third-party approvals.
Gold Export Finance
Gold exports are financeable at small and medium scale when the trade cycle is controlled: verified origin, documented chain of custody, disciplined assays, credible buyers, insured logistics, and a cash waterfall that repays the facility before profits move.
FG Capital Advisors supports producers and licensed exporters across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Uganda, and Sierra Leone with structured pre-export funding and lender placement for repeatable export cycles.
Contact FG Capital AdvisorsWho We Fund
We focus on small and medium scale gold producers and exporter operators that can evidence lawful production, commercial traction, and a clear pathway to settlement via reputable buyers and refineries.
Responsible sourcing references used by many counterparties: OECD Due Diligence Guidance (minerals) , LBMA Responsible Sourcing , FATF resources on trade and financial crime.
What Gold Export Finance Solves
Gold businesses often have real product and real demand, but cash is trapped in the cycle: procurement, production, transport, assay, refinery processing, and settlement. The spread can be attractive, yet liquidity breaks when funding is ad hoc and controls are weak.
- Pre-export working capital: funding to procure feedstock, finance production, and cover logistics until settlement.
- Cash strain reduction: predictable facility logic tied to shipments and settlement, not informal advances.
- Bankable execution: a file that withstands credit committee review with auditability and clean compliance.
Common Structures We Arrange
1) Pre-Export Finance Against Offtake and Settlement
Funding is advanced against a defined export program, with repayment sourced from documented settlement proceeds. A controlled account and clear payment routing is usually non-negotiable.
2) Inventory and In-Transit Finance With Controls
When custody, insurance, and release mechanics are enforceable, lenders can size exposure against eligible stock or in-transit parcels. Eligibility and haircuts depend on the operational facts, not the pitch deck.
3) Receivables Purchase Where the Buyer Is Strong
In certain cases, the cleanest risk is the receivable from a strong buyer, provided the underlying trade is documented and compliant and the settlement mechanics are consistent.
4) Programmatic Funding Across Repeatable Cycles
For operators with track record, a revolving approach can be structured with eligibility rules, concentration caps, reporting, and step-in rights. The aim is repeatability, not one-off hero trades.
What Lenders Actually Require in Gold
Gold finance lives or dies on controls. Thin documentation creates open loss paths: origin uncertainty, disputes, theft, substitution, compliance issues, and settlement leakage. The solution is a controlled process that is evidenced at each step.
| Control Area | What Must Be True | Typical Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Origin and licensing | Lawful production and lawful right to export | Licenses, permits, production records, export authorizations |
| Chain of custody | Clear custody from source to exporter to shipment | Intake logs, custody transfers, seals, storage controls, audit trail |
| Assay discipline | Reliable measurement and dispute handling | Assay certificates, sampling protocol, re-assay rights, variance clauses |
| Logistics and insurance | Insured, controlled movement with predictable handoffs | Insurance certificates, loss payee wording, courier or freight documentation |
| Settlement routing | Proceeds flow through a controlled account with repayment waterfall | Account control language, payment instructions, buyer settlement terms |
| Counterparty risk | Buyer and refinery are verifiable and acceptable to the lender | KYC on buyer, refinery credentials, references, settlement history |
| Financial crime controls | KYC, AML, sanctions and integrity controls are real, not cosmetic | KYC pack, UBO clarity, screening logs, policies and approvals |
Country Coverage
Democratic Republic of Congo
DRC offers scale, yet the lender standard is strict on licensing, chain of custody, and integrity controls. Deals get approved when the corridor is clean, documentation is consistent, and settlement routing is defensible.
Ghana
Ghana supports structured exports when the operator is properly licensed and the trade file aligns with buyer settlement mechanics. Lenders will scrutinize ownership transparency and proof of lawful sourcing.
Uganda
Uganda programs often hinge on verifiable counterparties, clean logistics, and disciplined assays. Clear documentation across suppliers and exporters matters more than presentation.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone can be financeable for established operators with clear legal sourcing and export permissions, supported by a tight operational audit trail and defined settlement counterparties.
We only support lawful, documented, and diligence-ready trade flows. If the file cannot be verified, it does not move forward.
The Lender-Ready File
Rejections are rarely about the country headline. They are about missing evidence and inconsistent documents. A lender-ready file is one story across contracts, logistics, compliance, and cash flow.
- Transaction map: sourcing, processing, custody, shipping, assay, and settlement, with dates and responsibilities.
- Corporate and ownership pack: registrations, UBO, IDs, governance, and approvals.
- Licenses and permits: production, trading, refining where relevant, and export permissions.
- Offtake and settlement terms: buyer terms, pricing basis, deductions, timing, and dispute mechanics.
- Controls package: custody protocol, insurance and loss payee logic, controlled account and waterfall.
- Model and sources of repayment: shipment-level economics with all costs and timing, not only headline spread.
Process
We operate as a transaction-led advisory desk. The sequence is fixed to avoid wasted cycles and to protect lender time.
- Submission: you send the trade file, licenses, counterparties, and a basic shipment plan.
- Underwriting and structure: we translate the cycle into a controls-driven facility logic and produce an indicative package for lender review.
- Indicative term sheet: lenders review and issue terms or written declines.
- Execution: documentation, account controls, compliance onboarding, and first-cycle monitoring.
FAQ
Do you fund artisanal mining?
We support small and medium scale producers and exporters only where lawful sourcing, licensing, and chain of custody can be evidenced to lender and buyer standards.
What ticket sizes do you support?
It depends on the trade cycle and controls. Many SME programs start with a first-cycle facility sized to prove performance, then scale with track record and reporting.
How is repayment handled?
Standard structures route settlement proceeds through a controlled account with a defined waterfall that repays the facility before profits are released.
What causes most gold finance declines?
Unverifiable origin, weak chain of custody, unclear ownership, inconsistent documents, unacceptable buyers, and settlement leakage risk.
Do you guarantee funding?
No. Outcomes depend on lender underwriting and third-party approvals. Our role is to structure the cycle, build a lender-ready file, and run a disciplined placement process.
If you want export funding, bring a file that can be verified: licenses, ownership clarity, clean sourcing logic, credible buyers, and a settlement path we can control.
Contact FG Capital AdvisorsDisclosure. FG Capital Advisors is not a bank and does not provide direct lending. Services are advisory and arranging support delivered with third-party lenders and regulated counterparties, subject to diligence and definitive agreements.
