Commodity trading and trade finance

French	English	Deutsch	Definition
Affrètement	chartering	Befrachtung	hiring of a vessel for transport
Commerce de transit	merchanting	Transithandel	purchase and sale of goods that never pass through Switzerland
Connaissement	bill of lading	Konnossement	document of title representing the goods shipped
Crédit documentaire	letter of credit	Dokumentenakkreditiv	bank undertaking to pay against conforming documents
Crédit autoliquidatif	self-liquidating loan	selbstliquidierender Kredit	loan repaid from the sale of the goods financed
Financement du négoce	commodity trade finance	Rohstoffhandelsfinanzierung	loans backed by commodity flows
Inspection	inspection / surveying	Warenprüfung	verification of quantity and quality
Négociant	commodity trader	Rohstoffhändler	company that buys and sells commodities
Préfinancement	prepayment	Vorfinanzierung	advance granted against future deliveries
Prêt adossé aux ressources	resource-backed loan	rohstoffbesicherter Kredit	loan repaid in commodities
Prime / décote	premium / discount	Prämie / Abschlag	difference between the contract price and the market benchmark
Risque de base	basis risk	Basisrisiko	difference between the price hedged and the price of the hedge
Valeur ajoutée	value added	Wertschöpfung	contribution of an activity to gross domestic product

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.

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Dr Alexander Ressos, TEP

Rechtsanwalt/Attorney-at-Law

I am a Swiss attorney-at-law and also admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England & Wales, with almost 25 years of experience.

Together with my multilingual team, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian and French native speakers, I advise companies and their owners from around the world on the full range of banking, corporate, commercial and tax law matters in Switzerland, including international tax planning, fiduciary services, and legal family office services including immigration & relocation or real estate investments. My practice has a particular focus on clients from growth and frontier markets in Greater China, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and I equally advise clients from Europe and North America. Through an affiliated Swiss trust company, we also take care of the incorporation and ongoing administration of their companies and other structures, including accounting, tax returns and corporate secretarial services, and I serve as a professional director where required. With the support of a network of first-class cooperation partners, I also implement solutions worldwide.

My approach is to act as a trusted advisor who works directly with decision-makers, on an equal footing: I start from what you want to achieve and shape every structure, contract and tax decision around your commercial goals and how it improves your after-tax return. As “lawyers who make it happen”, my team and I stay involved until your company is set up, your structure is in place and your transaction has closed, and we remain available for any follow-on work that may be required. You benefit from bespoke solutions and personal attention, and sound, friendly and practical advice. We are not the lowest-cost provider in the market, nor do we intend to be; our aim is to deliver well-founded, proper solutions and excellent value for money.

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