Pelorus Capital: trade finance for businesses that import stock

Importing has a cash problem baked into it. You pay the overseas supplier now, the goods sail for weeks, clear customs, reach your warehouse and only then become sales, and sales become cash weeks later still. Between the first payment and the last receipt your money is sitting in a container. Pelorus Capital exists for exactly that stretch.

This profile summarises what Pelorus Capital says on its website and what trade press has reported, as at October 2026. It publishes very little in the way of terms, so treat this as a guide to the type of lender it is, not a rate card.

What does Pelorus Capital offer?

Pelorus is a trade finance specialist based on Mount Street in North Sydney. Its website describes funding and service for importation and stock purchase, aimed at small and medium businesses that bring in goods from international suppliers. It frames trade finance as the solution to the payment gap between exporter and importer, and says each proposal is treated individually rather than against a standard template.

Trade press coverage of its facility launch added some detail. It reported a specialist facility designed without an insurance wrap, which allows deals of up to $3m and removes the need for an insurer’s sign-off, and that borrowers could keep property equity separate from the trade facility. Those are reported statements, not published terms, so verify them.

For the basics of how this kind of finance works, see our guides to trade finance and import finance.

Why does the insurance wrap matter?

Many trade finance programs lean on credit insurance: an insurer underwrites the risk that a buyer or supplier fails, and the funder lends against that cover. It lowers the funder’s risk, but it adds a second approval, with its own exclusions and delays. A facility that doesn’t depend on an insurer’s wrap can move faster, and can fund businesses an insurer would decline. The trade-off is that the funder carries the risk itself, which tends to show up in how carefully it checks the deal and the pricing it offers.

Likewise, banks have often asked for property security on trade lines. A provider that lets you keep your home or commercial property out of the facility leaves that equity free for other purposes, though the lender may take its security over the goods and receivables instead.

Who is Pelorus Capital likely to suit?

• Importers and wholesalers with orders from reliable customers and a regular overseas supplier.
• Manufacturers importing components and waiting on a production cycle before they invoice.
• Businesses that have outgrown their cash, where each new order is bigger than the last and the stock bill is the constraint.
• Owners whose bank has limited trade lines or insists on property security they would rather not provide.

It is less likely to suit a business with no trading record in the goods, one-off purchases (a working capital loan may be simpler), or a business that mainly sells services.

Questions worth asking before you proceed

Because no terms are published, ask each of these and get answers in writing:

1. What is the total cost in dollars for the full cycle, from supplier payment to your customer paying?
2. How much of each order is funded, and what do I pay from my own pocket?
3. What security is taken? The goods, the receivables, a general security over the business, a director guarantee?
4. Who pays the supplier and when? In a trade facility the funder often pays the supplier directly.
5. What if a shipment is delayed or a customer pays late? Delays happen at ports and customs, so ask about extension terms.

A letter of credit is one of the tools in this world. It is a bank’s promise to pay a supplier once documents are presented, and it is worth knowing how it differs from a non-bank trade facility.

Unsure how to structure a stock order you can’t yet fund? Give us the numbers and we’ll say which finance type normally fits.

Similar lenders to compare

For a wider invoice and trade offer, compare with ScotPac and Earlypay. If the real issue is customers paying slowly rather than suppliers wanting payment up front, invoice finance is the natural pairing, and supply chain finance is the buyer-led cousin. Our guide to buying stock and inventory compares the options for the purchase itself.

If Pelorus Capital can’t help

• Too small for a trade facility? An unsecured working capital loan may be the practical route; see unsecured business loans.
• Property to offer? A bank trade line or property-secured loan can be the cheapest option when you fit the policy, so a bank’s offer deserves serious attention.
• Seasonal stock build? Seasonal stock funding may be the better frame.

Next step: check what fits before you commit

Trade finance structures vary a lot, and a poor fit costs time when a shipment is already on the water. Our form takes about a minute, doesn’t affect your credit file, and stays with us rather than being sent around a crowd of lenders. A person reads it and phones you.

Say clearly what you import, how long the cycle runs and where you’re short. Honest detail lets us point you at the right kind of facility first time.

Find the right trade funding →