Just four years after its inception, DP World Trade Finance has surpassed $1 billion in trade financing, providing essential working capital to businesses across emerging markets and narrowing the global $2.5 trillion trade finance gap.
This significant milestone reflects a growing need for integrated trade and financial solutions as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing economies continue to struggle with access to capital. With its hybrid model that fuses logistics and finance, DP World Trade Finance is reshaping how cross-border trade is supported—particularly in markets where financial infrastructure is less developed.
The platform’s achievements stem from both its own lending activity and collaborations with over 30 financial institutions, including J.P. Morgan, Standard Bank, and NedBank. These partnerships have played a vital role in mobilizing capital for businesses involved in agriculture, metals, engineering, and other key trade sectors. The platform has financed trade in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, targeting regions often overlooked by traditional lenders.
A Logistics-Finance Fusion for Better Decision Making
What sets DP World’s platform apart is its integration of trade finance within its broader logistics network. By offering funders visibility into the movement of goods and access to operational data, the system helps reduce perceived lending risks—enabling faster and more informed credit decisions.
“We’ve created a network that connects businesses with capital, streamlines the financing process and enables trade to flow more consistently on a global scale,” said Sinan Ozcan, Senior Executive Officer of DP World Trade Finance. “Cross-border trade is the engine of global economic growth, but access to affordable finance remains a critical barrier for many businesses, especially SMEs in emerging markets.”
The trade finance portfolio managed by the platform has demonstrated above-industry-average asset quality, suggesting that a data-driven approach and real-time cargo visibility may be influencing lender confidence and borrower performance. This supports the argument for embedding finance within supply chain ecosystems to reduce default risk and improve transparency.
Serving Markets Most in Need
SMEs in emerging economies often face insurmountable barriers to trade finance. Limited credit histories, lack of collateral, and weaker financials typically exclude them from traditional bank financing. By offering structured short-term working capital and participating in risk-sharing with financial partners, DP World Trade Finance is extending the reach of capital to businesses that need it most.
According to Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, the initiative underscores the UAE’s broader role as a global trade facilitator. “By making capital more accessible, particularly in high-potential markets, we are shaping a trade system that is more inclusive and resilient,” he said.
Launched in July 2021, DP World Trade Finance began as a response to the pandemic’s spotlight on global supply chain vulnerabilities. Since then, the platform has not only acquired a lending license (in June 2022) but has grown into a multi-regional facilitator of trade credit. The financing provided supports everything from the shipment of cashew nuts in West Africa to engineering components across Asia and Europe.
A Network Beyond Borders
While DP World Financial Services Limited arranges and provides credit for clients based in the UAE, another branch—DP World Services Limited—handles arrangements for clients outside the UAE, giving the platform a truly international footprint. This structure enables them to remain agile while aligning with various regulatory and operational environments.
The achievement of $1 billion in financed trade reflects more than just a financial benchmark—it signals an emerging trend where trade finance is no longer just about paperwork and credit risk, but about operational insight, collaboration, and infrastructure-driven trust. For global logistics professionals watching the intersection of cargo movement and capital flow, DP World Trade Finance offers a blueprint for the future of inclusive trade.
