Imagine that you are the captain of a ship in a storm. You masterfully laid out a route bypassing the reefs (logistics), but at the most crucial moment it turns out that the destination port cannot accept your payment for mooring (payment). Welcome to the realities of import in recent years, where the bottleneck is not roads, but financial gateways.

Anyone who deals with imports today is familiar with the basic set of challenges: sanctions pressure, overloaded ports, currency volatility, and staff shortages. Logistics chains have changed, become longer and more expensive. It's all true.

However, the experience of recent years shows that the key barrier that can stop even a perfectly planned delivery is the problem of making a payment to the supplier. You can find a product, negotiate a price, and set a delivery route, but all this becomes meaningless if your transaction freezes or is blocked by a correspondent bank.

Previously, sending a SWIFT transfer was a routine operation. Today it is a multi-level task with several barriers.:

1. Enhanced bank compliance. Foreign correspondent banks, especially in the EU, the USA and even in friendly jurisdictions, carefully check all transactions related to Russia. Any suspicion of violating the restrictions leads to the freezing of the payment and a lengthy trial.
2. The "toxicity" of major currencies. Making payments in dollars and euros has become extremely difficult. Switching to national currencies (yuan, dirhams, rupees) solves the problem only partially, creating new risks associated with conversion and volatility.
3. The need for intermediaries. To reduce risks, companies are forced to make payments through third countries. This complicates the chain, increases fees, and requires impeccable documentation so as not to arouse suspicion of the opacity of the transaction.

In these circumstances, the concept of a "payment route" comes to the fore. This is not just a bank's choice, but a well-established and proven chain of financial institutions in loyal jurisdictions that allows payments to be made from buyer to seller in a predictable, transparent manner and in full compliance with international AML requirements.

Characteristics of a high-quality payment route:

• Transparency. The entire payment chain is clear and legitimate for each participating bank.
• Reliability. The route has been repeatedly verified on real transactions and does not cause system failures.
• Speed. A minimum number of intermediary banks to speed up the process.
• Cost-effectiveness. Adequate transaction fees with no hidden fees.

Building such routes from scratch is a complex and resource—intensive task that requires in-depth expertise in international financial law.

To adapt to the new realities, reconsider your priorities.

1. Start by auditing your payment capabilities. Before looking for a supplier, evaluate how and through which channels you can actually pay them.
2. Diversify not only suppliers, but also payment channels. Have several proven and independent payment routes in your arsenal.
3. Ensure an impeccable legal binding. Contracts with suppliers should contain flexible payment terms, the possibility of changing the currency and jurisdiction for settlements.
4. Check all participants in the chain. Due diligence is necessary not only for the supplier of the product, but also for all financial intermediaries involved in the payment.
5. Invest in financial expertise. The success of the import now directly depends on the qualifications of your international finance specialists.

Every manager has a choice: try to build financial expertise within the company or outsource this function.

• Your own team: You can hire specialists in foreign economic activity, international law and compliance. It's a long and expensive journey. Such employees are in short supply in the market, and there is no guarantee that they will be able to quickly create working payment solutions from scratch.
• External expertise: Contacting relevant consulting agencies, especially in the field of fintech, provides instant access to ready-made, well-established and legally clean payment routes.

In practice, outsourcing this highly specialized function significantly speeds up delivery times (fast payment = fast shipment) and significantly reduces costs, both operational and expensive personnel.

In modern conditions, logistics is the hull of a ship, and a timely payment is its engine. Without a working engine, even the strongest ship will drift helplessly in a sea of uncertainty.

Flexibility, rapid adaptation and the choice of the right financial instruments and partners are what distinguishes a successful importer today. This is no longer just a business, but the art of risk management in the face of global change.