✦ UNIONE™ ICL - Institutional Contract Letter
The Letter of Credit
solved payment trust.
The ICL solves
contractual trust.
For 600 years, the Letter of Credit has been the world's instrument for payment trust across borders. No equivalent has ever existed for the contractual relationship itself - until now. The UNIONE™ ICL is an institutional letter addressed to your counterparty, your bank, or your government procurement authority, confirming that your contract has been reviewed, certified, and backed by an institutional framework.
📄 Formal institutional letter
⚡ 5-day delivery
🌐 Addressed to any third party
✦ UNIONE™ signed & numbered
600
Years the LC has been
the trade trust standard
the trade trust standard
$150T
Cross-border B2B
transactions per year
transactions per year
0
Institutions offering
contractual trust letters - until now
contractual trust letters - until now
UNIONE™
ICL-2026-0001
14 April 2026 · Singapore
To: Standard Chartered Bank, Trade Finance Division, Singapore
Re: Contract between Meridian Energy Pte Ltd (Singapore) and Apex Supply Co. Ltd (Nigeria)
UNIONE™ Institutional Contract Letter - ICL-2026-0001
UNIONE™ International Arbitration & Dispute Resolution System confirms that the above-referenced contract has been reviewed under the UNIONE™ DPC Standard v1.0 and the following institutional confirmations are made:
✓
Contract dispute resolution clause - reviewed & certified✓
Governing law & seat alignment - confirmed✓
Enforceability mapping - UAE · Singapore · Nigeria✓
Standing Neutral appointed - SF.UNIONE™ · Lagos✓
Escalation pathway - documented & confirmedThe contract is registered in the UNIONE™ DPC Registry under reference DPC-2026-0001. This letter may be relied upon by the addressee as institutional confirmation of the contractual dispute resolution framework.
🇸🇬ENFORCEABLE
🇳🇬ENFORCEABLE
🇦🇪ADVISORY
UNIONE™ CERTIFIED
UNIONE™ Secretariat · 14 Apr 2026
ICL-2026-0001 ✦
Key difference ✦
Addressed to Standard Chartered Bank - the bank sees institutional validation before financing the contract
The idea behind the ICL
The same mechanism that
made global trade possible.
Applied to a new problem.
The Letter of Credit solved one specific trust problem. The UNIONE™ ICL solves the adjacent trust problem - the one that has existed since cross-border contracts began, and has never had an institutional instrument.
Since 1400s
Letter of Credit
A bank issues a formal letter to the seller, confirming that payment will be made if specified conditions are met. The seller does not need to trust the buyer - they trust the bank.
Payment trust across borders
→
UNIONE™ · 2026
Institutional Contract Letter
UNIONE™ issues a formal letter to the counterparty, bank, or procurement authority, confirming that the contractual dispute resolution framework has been reviewed, certified, and is backed by an institutional structure.
Contractual relationship trust across borders
LC
Solves payment trust
Issued by a bank
Issued by a bank
ICL
Solves contractual trust
Issued by UNIONE™
Issued by UNIONE™
DPC
Underlying certification
The ICL is built on it
The ICL is built on it
Three situations where it sells itself
Every one of these happens
thousands of times a day.
1
New counterparty · new market
A Nigerian company signing its first supply agreement with a Singapore trader. Neither fully trusts the other. The LC covers payment. The ICL covers the contractual relationship. Both parties can proceed with confidence.
2
Government procurement
A procurement authority in UAE, India, or Nigeria requires institutional assurance before signing with a foreign contractor. The contractor presents the ICL. The authority sees UNIONE™ has reviewed the dispute resolution framework. Tender proceeds.
3
Bank financing against a contract
A trade finance bank is asked to provide financing with a contract as the underlying asset. The ICL gives the bank institutional comfort on the contract quality, improving financing terms.
4
M&A due diligence
A buyer conducting due diligence sees that key contracts carry ICL numbers - meaning UNIONE™ has reviewed and certified their dispute frameworks. Enforceability risk is already mapped. Deal proceeds faster.
How the ICL is issued
Five days.
One institutional letter.
Addressed to whoever you need.
1
Submit the contract + ICL recipient
Submit the contract and tell us who the ICL should be addressed to - counterparty, bank, procurement authority, or investor.
Day 1
2
DPC review (or use existing DPC)
If the contract has an existing DPC, the ICL is issued on top of it immediately. If not, UNIONE™ runs an expedited five-checkpoint review.
Day 1–3
3
ICL drafted & signed
A UNIONE™ Fellow drafts the formal institutional letter on UNIONE™ letterhead, tailored to the specific recipient.
Day 3–4
4
ICL delivered · number registered
The ICL is delivered as a numbered PDF. The ICL number is registered in the UNIONE™ public registry. The recipient can verify the ICL at any time.
Day 5
5
Recipient presents ICL - done
The party presents the ICL to their bank, procurement authority, or counterparty. The institutional letter does the work.
Immediately
What the ICL contains
Eight institutional confirmations.
One formal letter. Numbered and registered.
Every UNIONE™ ICL confirms the following
📋
Contract identification
The specific contract, parties, date, governing law, and seat - so the recipient knows exactly which contract the ICL covers
✓
Clause integrity confirmed
The dispute resolution clause is clear, enforceable, and consistent with the governing law and seat of arbitration (CP1)
🌐
Enforcement jurisdictions assessed
Named jurisdictions have been assessed for enforceability under the New York Convention and local procedural requirements (CP3)
⚖
Standing Neutral appointed
A named, vetted UNIONE™ Fellow is appointed as Standing Neutral for the duration of the contract - activated within 72 hours of any Trigger Event
🔢
DPC Registry entry
The DPC certificate number - publicly verifiable at dpc.theunione.org - is referenced in the ICL
↗
Escalation pathway documented
The full four-stage escalation pathway is confirmed as documented and accepted by both parties (CP6)
🔒
UNIONE™ institutional backing
The ICL is signed by the UNIONE™ Secretariat and carries the authority of the institution
📊
Public verifiability
The ICL number can be looked up in the UNIONE™ registry by the addressee - instantly confirming the letter is genuine
ICL vs. the alternatives
Nothing else does this.
That is the point.
| What the recipient gets | Law firm opinion | UNIONE™ ICL |
|---|---|---|
| Addressed to them specifically | ✗ | ✓ Named recipient |
| Institutional standing | ✗ Private firm | ✓ UNIONE™ institution |
| Public verifiable registry | ✗ | ✓ ICL number searchable |
| Standing Neutral already appointed | ✗ | ✓ Named · activated in 72h |
| Enforcement mapping included | ✓ At extra cost | ✓ Included |
| Turnaround | 2–4 weeks | 5 business days |
| Cost | USD 8,000–25,000 | From USD 500 (add-on to DPC) |
ICL Pricing
Transparent. Fixed. Fraction of the value it creates.
Three tiers. The ICL can be issued standalone or on top of an existing DPC - in which case the review cost is already covered and only the letter fee applies.
ICL Add-on
On existing DPC
For contracts that already have a UNIONE™ DPC - the review is done, only the addressed letter needs drafting
ICL letter fee
USD 500
Per ICL · per addressee · 2-day delivery
✓
Uses existing DPC review✓
Addressed to any named party✓
Registered in ICL registry✓
Verifiable by addressee✓
Multiple addressees: USD 300 each additionalICL Standard
Standalone
New contract · no existing DPC. Includes expedited five-checkpoint review plus the addressed institutional letter
All-in fee
USD 2,500
Includes review + ICL letter · 5-day delivery
✓
5-checkpoint expedited review✓
ICL addressed to named party✓
Enforcement mapping - up to 3 jurisdictions✓
Standing Neutral appointed✓
DPC upgrade path - fee credited toward full DPCICL Complex
Multi-party
Contracts with 3+ parties, multiple addressees, or complex multi-jurisdiction enforcement requirements
All-in fee
From USD 4,500
Assessed per contract · 7-day delivery
✓
All six DPC checkpoints✓
ICL to bank + procurement + counterparty✓
Full enforcement mapping - 5+ jurisdictions✓
SF.UNIONE™ Standing Neutral appointed✓
Full DPC coverage included
Standing Neutral activation: When a Trigger Event occurs, the Standing Neutral activates within 72 hours at a daily fee of USD 800–2,500, shared equally between parties. ·
ICL is not legal advice - it is an institutional confirmation. ·
ICL fee is fully credited toward a full DPC if the parties decide to upgrade within 90 days.
Submitting request...
Request a UNIONE™ ICL
No payment at this stage. We assess eligibility and send a fee proposal within 2 business days.
After you submit
Five days.
One institutional letter.
Your counterparty sees UNIONE™.
1
Eligibility & fee proposal
We confirm the contract qualifies and send a fixed fee proposal. No obligation.
Day 1–2
2
Review & Standing Neutral appointment
Five-checkpoint review. Standing Neutral matched to sector and jurisdictions.
Day 2–4
3
ICL drafted for your named recipient
The letter is tailored to the addressee - bank, procurement, and counterparty versions each have different emphasis.
Day 4–5
4
ICL delivered & registered
Numbered ICL PDF delivered. Entered in the UNIONE™ registry. Addressee can verify online immediately.
Day 5
5
You present it. It works.
Present the ICL to your bank, procurement authority, or counterparty. The institutional letter transfers UNIONE™'s institutional credibility to your transaction.
Immediately
✦
Request received.
Thank you for your ICL request. The UNIONE™ Secretariat will respond within two business days with a fee proposal.
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