Physical Commodity Trade Infrastructure

Close physical cargo deals without chasing WhatsApp threads, PDFs, and bank updates.

Compass gives every counterparty — buyer, seller, bank, inspector, insurer, logistics provider, and port — one controlled deal room from origination to settlement. Documents, milestones, approvals, vessel updates, and payment conditions stay tied to the cargo.

BuyerSellerBank / LCInspectorInsurerFreight ForwarderPort / Terminal
compass — deal room
Brazil Soybeans → Qingdao
48,000 MT · FOB Santos · LC-backed · CNOOC Agri / Bunge Brasil
IN FLIGHT
ETA Qingdao: 12 Aug
Demurrage clock starts: 18h
Settlement pack: 72% complete
Document Status
Commercial Invoice
08:14
Draft Bill of Lading
09:42
Certificate of Analysis
Moisture +0.4%11:03
Insurance Certificate
Required
Phytosanitary Certificate
07:30
Live Activity
COA variance flagged: moisture +0.4% above contract tolerance
11:04
BL uploaded by Maersk Santos agent
09:42
Inspector report pending buyer review — 2 open items
09:15
LC clause 46A missing insurance certificate
08:50
Settlement Package72%
5 of 7 documents verified2 actions required
3–7 daysAvg. settlement cyclevs. 3–6 weeks via email
< 4 hrsCounterparty onboardingRole-specific access, not full platform
90%+Doc discrepancies caught pre-bankBefore costly LC amendments
ZeroRetrospective doc assemblyEverything already in the room
100%Audit trail coverageEvery upload, approval, change logged

A cargo deal, as Compass sees it

Copper concentrate.
Valparaíso → Busan.

One shipment. Seven counterparties. Twenty-three documents. Every action tied to the cargo, visible to the right party, logged in order.

12,000 MT CIF Busan
23 documents across 7 parties
Settlement: Day 25 vs industry avg 42

Click any phase to expand the activity log.

Your role in the trade

Every counterparty has a different problem. Compass solves each one.

Refiners · Utilities · Oil & Gas Majors

Buyers

The problem today

You have eight counterparties across a single cargo. Nobody has the same version of the BL. Inspection results land in email three days after the vessel sailed.

With Compass

Know exactly which document, inspection, or approval is blocking release or payment. One view of the cargo — from LC issuance through port release.

BL and COA status in real time
Inspection variance alerts before bank review
Payment trigger tracking vs LC conditions
Demurrage clock visibility per voyage

Discrepancy detection

Problems surface before they become disputes.

Compass monitors document uploads, LC clause requirements, vessel ETAs, and inspection results continuously. When something doesn't match — moisture variance, missing certificate, demurrage window opening — the right party is alerted immediately.

Most discrepancies in physical commodity trades are discoverable before bank presentation. They only become expensive when they're discovered late.

COA variance — moisture +0.4% above contract tolerance
11:04

SGS Santos report moisture 8.1%. Contract max 7.7%. LC clause 19 may trigger rejection.

LC clause 46A — insurance certificate not yet uploaded
10:51

Korea Exchange Bank LC requires Institute Cargo Clauses A cover note before BL presentation.

Demurrage clock starts in 18h — Busan berth ETA 24 Aug 06:00
09:30

MV Pacific Condor ETA revised +2 days. Laytime allowed 36h. Pre-arrival docs needed by 23 Aug 12:00.

Inspector report pending buyer acknowledgement — 2 open items
08:20

SGS sampling report uploaded 3h ago. Buyer review required before bank document presentation.

Platform modules

Built for the documents, counterparties, and milestones of physical trade.

Not adapted from a generic project tool. Purpose-built for commodity cargo operations.

Cargo Deal Room

A controlled room for every shipment. Role-based access for buyer, seller, bank, inspector, insurer, freight forwarder, and port. No counterparty sees more than their role allows.

LC · BL · COA exchangeRole-gated document accessGuest links with permissions

Document Control

Upload and reconcile LC terms, draft BL, final BL, COA, commercial invoice, insurance certificate, inspection reports, phytosanitary certificate, and port documents. Discrepancies flagged before bank review.

LC clause validationCOA reconciliationVersion tracking

Milestone Tracker

Track origination, counterparty onboarding, LC issuance, vessel departure, inspection, vessel arrival, port release, invoice due date, and settlement — in one timeline tied to the cargo.

Pre-shipment milestonesIn-flight vessel ETAPayment trigger checklist

Trade Finance Coordination

Keep issuing banks, confirming banks, forfaiting desks, receivables finance teams, and DFIs aligned on the same document package. LC/SBLC conditions checked against uploaded documents.

LC / SBLC clause checkSettlement package exportBank-ready document pack

Audit & Dispute Trail

Every upload, approval, status change, and message is time-stamped and write-once. Disputes don't depend on scattered emails or WhatsApp screenshots. The record is already in the room.

Immutable action logExportable for regulatorsSanctions / KYC flags

Trade Finance

Financing built into the deal, not bolted on after.

Every trade on Compass comes with access to structured financing options. Banks and finance desks are invited into the deal room directly — they see the cargo details, document package, and counterparty profile in one place, so decisions move faster and on better terms.

Whether you need LC issuance, pre-export finance, or receivables discounting, the infrastructure is already in place. No separate platform. No re-uploading documents. The deal room is the credit application.

Bank-ready document pack assembled automatically as the deal progresses
LC clause verification before documents reach the bank — fewer amendments
Financing conversations happen in the deal room, not over email
Settlement and payment release tied to verified milestones, not manual chasers
Financing Products Available
Letter of Credit (LC)
Issuing, confirming, and discounting against verified document packages.
Pre-Export Finance
Lenders see the deal room, the cargo, and the counterparties — not just a spreadsheet.
Forfaiting & Receivables
Trade receivables backed by the same audit trail banks rely on for LC presentation.
SBLC / Bank Guarantee
Performance and payment guarantees coordinated alongside the shipment timeline.
Bank Match — Active Deal
Brazil Soybeans · 48,000 MT · CIF Qingdao
LC required · $12.4M · Tenor 90 days
Standard Chartered TF Desk
Pre-approved Bunge credit line · Agri appetite active
94
match
ING Trade Finance
CIF Asia appetite · $20M+ book open
88
match
Société Générale CIB
Brazil origin specialist · LC confirmation
81
match

Settlement package export

When the cargo is ready to pay, the documents already are too.

No retrospective assembly. No chasing PDFs. Every document uploaded during the deal lifecycle is already in the room — verified, versioned, and ready for bank export.

Settlement Package
6 / 7 verified
Commercial Invoice
Bunge Brasil
Verified124 KB
Bill of Lading (Final)
Maersk Santos
Verified88 KB
Certificate of Analysis
SGS Santos
Discrepancy210 KB
Phytosanitary Certificate
MAPA Brazil
Verified64 KB
Marine Insurance Certificate
Aon Marine
Pending
Packing List
Bunge Brasil
Verified44 KB
LC Compliance Checklist
Korea Exchange Bank
Verified98 KB
Audit Log
Today · Brazil Soybeans
14:02
Korea Exchange Bank

Settlement package downloaded for payment release

13:58
Compass

Settlement package compiled — 6/7 documents verified

13:41
Korea Exchange Bank

COA discrepancy accepted with bank notation

11:04
Compass

COA variance flagged — moisture 8.1% vs 7.7% contract max

09:42
Maersk Santos

Final BL uploaded — MV Pacific Condor, B/L No. MAEU220814

08:14
Bunge Brasil

Commercial invoice uploaded — $3,840,000 USD

23 actions logged across 7 counterparties · Full export available

Why existing tools break down

Email, WhatsApp, and generic ERPs were not built for multi-party cargo deals.

They fragment documents, hide discrepancies, and leave dispute evidence scattered across a dozen inboxes.

Where the process breaksEmail / WhatsAppGeneric ToolERP Bolt-OnCompass
Document versions split across channels
BL v1, v2, v3 in different inboxes
PartialPartial
Banks receive incomplete settlement packs
Manual assembly causes delays & errors
Partial
Inspection discrepancies found post-shipment
COA variance missed until LC presented
Demurrage clock starts before teams align
No shared ETA or berth nomination record
PartialPartial
No single audit trail for disputes
Evidence scattered across inboxes
PartialPartial
Counterparties need different access levels
Bank sees seller pricing, buyer sees bank terms
LC terms vs documents reconciled manually
Clause 46A, 49, 20 checked by hand
Partial
Sanctions & KYC checks outside the flow
Counterparty screening happens in silos
Partial

Permissioning & security

Commodity deals involve commercially sensitive information on every side.

Compass enforces information barriers between parties at the architecture level — not as a configuration option.

Sample counterparty permissions
Buyer
Commercial InvoiceCOABL (final)Inspection Report
Bank
LC ApplicationDraft & Final BLInvoiceInsurance Cert
Inspector
Sampling InstructionsCOA UploadInspection Certificate
Insurer
Cover NoteInspection ReportVessel Details
No counterparty sees more than their role allows
Buyer doesn't see seller margin. Bank doesn't see buyer credit terms. Inspector sees only the documents relevant to their assignment. Access is role-scoped, not deal-wide.
Every document action is logged
Upload, download, view, approve, reject, amend — every interaction is time-stamped and write-once. The log cannot be edited or deleted by any party.
Guest links are time-limited and permission-scoped
External parties get a single-use link scoped to specific documents and permissions. No standing access. Links expire. No login required for counterparties.
Data residency on request
Enterprise clients can specify in-region storage — EU, US, APAC. No cross-border transfer without explicit configuration.
Audit-ready export at any stage
Full action log, document versions, and counterparty access history can be exported for regulatory review, sanctions compliance, or dispute resolution at any point in the deal lifecycle.
CompassCompass

Deal room infrastructure for physical commodity cargo trades. From origination to settlement.

Platform
Deal Rooms
Document Control
Milestone Tracker
Trade Finance
Audit Trail
Roles
Buyers & Sellers
Banks & Financiers
Inspectors
Logistics
Ports & Terminals
Company
About
Security
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Built for physical commodity trade operations.