Countertrade is an umbrella term covering a wide range of commercial mechanisms for reciprocal trade. Barter is probably the oldest and best known example, however others, such as offset, buyback, and switch-trading, have also evolved to meet the requirements of a more sophisticated world economy. All of these generally involve the exchange of goods or services to finance purchases, rather than using cash alone. Countertrade, in its various forms, represents 10-15% of world trade.

The importance of countertrade as a trading tool has increased since early 1970s -especially in markets where there is a shortage of foreign exchange capabilities or currency liquidity. In these situations, countertrade may be the only effective mechanism for doing business with companies in other countries.

Global Barter Group helps clients structure countertrade transactions by leveraging our trading expertise, methodologies, distribution networks and industry contacts.