Participants' roles and capabilities
There are six categories of participants in our scenario:which are exporter, importer, exporter's bank, importer's bank, carrier, and regulatory authority. The terms in this set refer to the roles an entity can assume in a trade deal; for example, a company exporting goods in one instance may be an importer in another. The capabilities and restrictions of each role are also detailed in the following list:
- Only an importer may apply for an L/C
- Only an importer's bank may supply an L/C
- Only an exporter's bank may accept an L/C
- Only an exporter may request an E/L
- Only a regulatory authority may supply an E/L
- Only an exporter may prepare a shipment
- Only a carrier may supply a B/L
- Only a carrier may update a shipment location
- Only an importer's bank may send money, and only an exporter's bank may receive money