Our Products
Cross Currency Swaps
In a cross currency swap, the parties exchange a stream of payments in one currency for a stream of cash flows in another. The typical cross currency swap involves the exchange of both recurring interest and principal (usually at the end of the swap) and thus can fully cover the risk of a microfinance loan transaction. Conceptually, cross currency swaps can be viewed as a series of forward contracts packaged together.
Currency Forward Contracts
In the Foreign Exchange market, a forward is a contract that locks in the price at which an entity can buy or sell a currency on a future date. A forward can be used to hedge the exposure to foreign exchange in a microfinance loan when the client only wants to protect principal repayments.
Currency Options
Option products are used when cash flows are not certain or when the client is looking for both downside protection and upside potential. Available option products include plain vanilla call options, which give the right (but not the obligation) to buy currency at a given price in the future, and range forwards (collars), which allow for risk within a band of currency movement but provide protection for loses above a certain threshold.