Saturday, January 12, 2008

How do bank guarantees help in commercial contracts?

Guarantees are important instruments used to minimize the risks that are involved in commercial contracts. For the enforcement of ordinary guarantees, as construed dependence of the guarantee on the main contract may lead to unnecessary disputes and litigation, arising from the main contract. These disputes may have a material effect on the guarantee, thereby blocking funds in litigation. Hence, there was a need for an innovative instrument which would enable the guarantee to serve its original purpose; namely, providing a form of security.The bank guarantee is one such innovative financial instrument whereby, if the beneficiary perceives that there has been a breach of contract by the other party, he can encash the guarantee and avail of the amount immediately, without having to undergo the hassles of litigation. Thus, the relevance of a bank guarantee achieves relevance.

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