Knowing who is on the other side
Before entering cross border transactions, confirm the legal identity of the counterparty, who owns it, and whether any owner or related party appears on a sanctions list. Banks increasingly ask for this information themselves and may hold or reject a payment if it is missing. Check whether the person signing has authority under the counterparty's own law, which sometimes requires a board resolution or a company seal. For larger deals, reviewing public records, litigation history, and reputation in the local market is worth the effort. Fraudsters frequently pose as real foreign companies, so verify bank details through a channel you already trust.
Payment, tax, and shipping terms
How you are paid shapes your risk. A letter of credit, an escrow, staged payments, or trade credit insurance can each shift the risk of nonpayment in different ways. Payments for services, royalties, or interest to a foreign party may require tax withholding, and applying a treaty rate at the time of payment usually depends on collecting the right forms. For goods, agreed trade terms such as Incoterms decide when risk passes and who handles customs, but they do not settle ownership or payment on their own. Products, software, and technical data may need an export classification before they leave the country.
Reviewing a transaction with us
We review the contract and the transaction structure with you, focusing on the points that cause trouble when parties sit in different countries: governing law, how disputes will be resolved, payment security, and compliance clauses. If you have not yet signed, we suggest changes that make the deal easier to enforce. If something has already gone wrong, such as a frozen payment or a shipment held at customs, we help work out the cause and the next step. Bring the draft or signed contract, invoices, and any communications from banks or authorities. For recurring business with the same party, a framework agreement can save renegotiating these points on every order.
