Solutions: financial institutions
Trade data for financial institutions
CargoFax gives banks, trade finance teams, insurers, and investors shipment-level customs records to check what a company really imports and exports. Credit and compliance teams read a client's or counterparty's shipment history in Atlas before they lend, insure, or onboard. Analysts load the records into their models through CargoFax Files, by FTP, through a web interface, or by API. Colombia records start in January 2001, and CargoFax US import records are updated daily with about a one-day lag.
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Questions
What can financial institutions answer with trade data?
- Does the client really trade what it says? Shipment history compared with a credit or onboarding application.
- How large and regular is its trade? Shipment frequency, weights, containers, and declared values.
- Who are its counterparties? Shippers, suppliers, and buyers by name, and partner countries in every market.
- Is the business growing or shrinking? Volumes month by month, for monitoring a loan book or portfolio.
- What is moving in a sector or country? Aggregate flows by HS code for research and models.
Fields
Which records and fields matter to financial institutions?
| Field | Why it matters to financial institutions | Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Company name and tax ID | Identifying the client on each record | Names in every market; tax IDs in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Dominican Republic |
| Dates and shipment frequency | Regularity of trade | Every market |
| Declared value | Size of trade, invoice checks | Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina, Peru |
| Weight, containers, and TEU | Volume and shipment size | Weight in United States, Haiti, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay; containers in United States, Haiti |
| Counterparty and partner country | Counterparty concentration | Partner names in United States, Haiti, Mexico, Colombia, Dominican Republic; partner countries in every market |
| HS code and description | What the client trades | Every market |
Products
Which CargoFax product fits financial institutions?
Atlas
For due diligence: search a company in Explorer, attach the client's own invoices or certificates in Docs, save and tag it in Contacts, and get a Vault email update on its next shipment.
See AtlasFiles
For risk models, credit scoring, and research: the archive and each update by FTP, through a web interface, or by API, in CSV, Excel, JSON, or Parquet.
See FilesMCP
The CargoFax MCP server lets AI assistants and agents query the same shipment records. It is in early access for selected clients and prospects: fill out the request form and we will get back to you.
Request MCP accessCoverage
Which markets can financial institutions cover?
Colombia (since January 2001) and Uruguay (since January 2016) give long histories for models. Daily US import records and weekly Haiti and Peru records keep client monitoring current.
North America
Caribbean
| Market | Region | Flows | History from | Values | Updates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | North America | Imports and exports | Imports January 2022; exports January 2020 | Official values from US Census statistics, by product, partner, and port | Daily |
| Mexico | North America | Imports and exports | January 2023 | Declared customs value | Monthly |
| Haiti | Caribbean | Imports | November 2020 | – | Weekly |
| Dominican Republic | Caribbean | Imports and exports | January 2024 | Declared USD value per line item | Monthly |
| Colombia | Latin America | Imports and exports | January 2001 | Declared customs value | Monthly |
| Peru | Latin America | Imports and exports | January 2026 | Declared customs value | Weekly |
| Argentina | Latin America | Imports | 2017 | Declared FOB value (USD) | Monthly |
| Uruguay | Latin America | Imports and exports | January 2016 | Declared CIF value (USD) | Monthly |
Use cases
Which use cases fit financial institutions?
Industries
Which industries do financial institutions search?
FAQ
Financial institutions: frequently asked questions
How do banks use customs trade data?
Banks use CargoFax customs records to check a client's real imports and exports before lending, to compare shipment volumes with what the client reports, and to monitor followed clients as new records land.
Can CargoFax support trade finance due diligence?
Yes. A company's CargoFax records show its products, partner countries, shipment frequency, and volumes, and in six markets declared values that can be compared with invoices.
What does CargoFax add to credit and compliance checks?
CargoFax adds the trade side: customs records of a company's real shipments, plus any documents your team attaches in Atlas Docs. Teams use it next to their credit ratings, legal checks, and screening tools.
Can we load CargoFax data into our risk models?
Yes, through CargoFax Files, which delivers bulk records by FTP, through a web interface, or by API in CSV, Excel, JSON, or Parquet. CargoFax Files delivers the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Argentina in bulk, and Haiti bulk files are available on request from sales.
How far back does CargoFax data go?
Colombia from January 2001, Uruguay from January 2016, Argentina from 2017, US exports from January 2020, Haiti from November 2020, US imports from January 2022, Mexico from January 2023, the Dominican Republic from January 2024, and Peru from January 2026.
Which markets carry declared values?
Declared values are on customs records from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. US trade values come from official US Census statistics by product, partner, and port, published in the CargoFax US Census trade reports. CargoFax US bill of lading records add shipments, companies, carriers, containers, and weight.
How current is the data for monitoring clients?
CargoFax US import records are updated daily with about a one-day lag. Haiti and Peru records are updated weekly. US exports, Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Argentina are updated monthly.
How much does CargoFax cost for financial institutions?
CargoFax plans are monthly or annual and priced by markets and data access. Book a demo for a quote.
Get started
Lend, insure, and verify with confidence using CargoFax trade data.
Find the suppliers, buyers, and shipping companies you need to grow your business. CargoFax trade data helps you identify real companies, discover new opportunities, and make your next move with confidence.