Many exporters are stuck on this problem: goods are shipped out, but it takes 30 days or even longer to receive payment from the buyer. During this period, they have no cash flow, and raw material procurement cannot keep up with production pace. What to do? A typical solution is accounts receivable factoring, converting pending payments into cash in advance. But the problem with traditional finance is—why should banks trust that this receivable will actually be collected?

This has been a persistent pain point in shipping and trade finance. Who can prove that the goods have truly been shipped? Who can verify that no issues occurred during transportation? Who ensures that the goods arrive at the destination on time and in good condition?

Now, on-chain oracles offer a new possibility. Taking solutions like APRO as an example, the idea is to move every critical node of the cargo flow onto the blockchain, using real-time data to make risk more transparent.

**Verification from the Source**

Your goods are loaded into container MSKU123456 and placed on the Ever Given vessel. APRO’s oracle directly connects to the API systems of shipping giants like Maersk. Once the cargo is successfully loaded, this information is immediately recorded on-chain, generating a "shipping proof" NFT. This isn’t just a paper document; it’s verified with hard data.

**Location updates every 4 hours en route**

The fleet is at sea, with the oracle accessing real-time trajectory data from AIS satellite tracking systems. Every 4 hours, it pushes container coordinates, heading, and speed data onto the chain. DeFi protocols observe this data, confirming that the cargo is on course, hasn’t been hijacked by pirates, and everything is proceeding as planned—based on this real-time risk assessment, the protocol can release your first tranche of financing, such as 50% of the amount. This process doesn’t require waiting; as soon as the data arrives, execution happens immediately.

**Automatic settlement upon arrival**

When the ship docks at Rotterdam, the port’s IoT barcode scanning system reads the unloading information in real time. The oracle detects the "arrived" status change, and the smart contract automatically triggers—release the remaining payment, or transfer ownership of the bill of lading NFT to the buyer. The buyer uses the NFT as a pickup voucher to retrieve the goods at the port. The entire process is data-driven and requires no manual approval.

The brilliance of this approach is that each step has a verifiable on-chain record. Banks or other financiers no longer rely solely on trust in you, but trust in the data itself.