What is a prepayment?
Capital advanced against a future offtake, repaid in product rather than cash. Frequently the fastest funding route for a producing or near-producing mine, and usually less dilutive than equity because the financier is underwriting the commodity and the logistics.
Key points
- Repaid in product, not cash.
- Faster and less dilutive than equity for a producing mine.
- The financier's return often sits in the pricing discount, not the rate.
At a glance
| What is advanced | Capital against a future offtake |
|---|---|
| Repaid in | Delivered product |
| Typical security | The offtake, a charge over product, sometimes escrow |
| Project stage needed | Producing or near-producing |
| Watch | Discount to market in the repayment price |
The structure
A prepayment is capital advanced by a buyer or trading house against a future offtake, repaid in delivered product rather than in cash. The producer receives money now and discharges the obligation in tonnes over an agreed schedule.
It sits between debt and a sales contract. Legally it is usually structured as an advance under a supply agreement, which is part of why it can be arranged faster than a syndicated loan.
Why producers use it
For a mine in production or close to it, prepayment is often the quickest available capital and usually less dilutive than equity. The financier is underwriting the commodity, the flowsheet and the logistics — things a trading house understands well — rather than an equity story.
It is correspondingly less suitable for early-stage projects. Without near-term production there is nothing to repay in, so prepayment finance generally requires a mine that is producing or weeks from it.
What secures it and what to watch
Security typically combines the offtake itself with a charge over the product, sometimes an escrow over receivables, and occasionally a share pledge. The financier’s protection is that repayment comes out of the material it is already contracted to buy.
The terms to examine are the discount to market embedded in the repayment price, what happens on underdelivery, and whether the prepayment restricts other financing. A cheap headline rate with a wide pricing discount is not cheap.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a prepayment repaid?
- In product. The producer delivers agreed tonnages against the offtake, and each delivery discharges part of the advance rather than generating a cash payment.
- Is prepayment cheaper than equity?
- Usually less dilutive, because the producer gives up no ownership. Whether it is cheaper depends on the discount embedded in the repayment pricing, which is where the financier’s return often sits.
- What stage does a project need to be at?
- Producing or close to producing. Repayment is made in product, so a project with no near-term output has nothing to repay with.
Related terms
A long-term contract under which a buyer commits to purchase an agreed share of a project’s future production. For a mine, an offtake is often what makes financing possible, because it converts uncertain future output into contracted revenue.
A bank undertaking to pay the seller once compliant documents are presented. It substitutes the bank’s credit for the buyer’s, which is why it remains the default instrument between counterparties trading together for the first time.
An initial payment, commonly 80–90% of estimated value, released against shipping documents, with the balance settled once final weights and assays are agreed at discharge. Standard practice for concentrates.
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