What this service is
When a commercial transaction concludes, the proceeds often need to be distributed between several parties in an agreed order and in agreed proportions: the principals, intermediaries, and advisers. Paymaster coordination is the administration of that distribution against a written schedule that everyone has signed.
What we do is the coordination, verification and record-keeping around that process. Confirming that every party is who they say they are, that the distribution schedule matches the underlying agreement, that the instructions received are authentic, and that the whole thing is documented.
The boundaries, stated plainly
We are not a bank. We are not an escrow provider. We are not a licensed remittance institution. Those are regulated activities requiring licences we do not hold, and we do not represent otherwise.
Funds move between verified, KYC-approved parties under a signed service agreement. Where a transaction requires genuine escrow or a regulated payment institution, that function is performed by an appropriately licensed provider, and we coordinate around it.
What we will not do
This category attracts a lot of enquiries that we decline, so it is worth being direct about which ones:
- Anything where the source of funds cannot be evidenced.
- Anything where a party will not complete KYC, or where the beneficial owner is obscured.
- SBLC, bank guarantee, letter of credit or monetisation structures. We discontinued that scope entirely.
- Arrangements whose commercial logic does not make sense on its face, which in practice is the most reliable warning sign of all.
- Anything presented with urgency as a reason to shorten diligence.
We would rather lose the engagement than take that risk on your behalf or ours.
How an engagement runs
- Pre-screening. The underlying transaction, the parties, and the source of funds, before anything is agreed.
- Documentation. The distribution schedule and the service agreement, signed by every party receiving a distribution.
- Verification. Identity and banking details confirmed independently of the email chain. Payment redirection fraud is the most common loss in this area and it is almost always a compromised email account, not a sophisticated attack.
- Coordination. Distribution executed against the schedule, with confirmations recorded at each step.
- Reporting. A closing pack showing what was distributed, to whom, and on what authority.
Why the verification step is the whole service
The failure mode in disbursement is rarely dramatic. It is an email arriving from a real counterparty's real address, sent by someone who has been sitting in that mailbox for three weeks, containing amended bank details and a plausible reason. By the time anyone notices, the funds are gone and recovery is a matter of luck.
Independent verification of every instruction, through a channel that was agreed at the start and is not email, is the control that prevents this. It is unglamorous and it is the reason to use a coordinator at all.
Fees
| Item | Range |
|---|---|
| Administration fee | 2% to 2.5% of funds handled |
| Minimum | A minimum fee may apply |
| Enhanced due diligence | Charged separately where required |
Agreed in writing with the engaging party before any funds move, and charged to that party.
Whose side we are on
Al Hisn Partners acts for the client and only the client. We are retained by you, we take instructions from you, and our fee is paid by you.
A disbursement role only works if it is clear who the agent answers to. We are engaged by one party under a signed service agreement and our administration fee is charged to that party, disclosed in writing before anything moves. We are not separately paid by any recipient in the chain, and we take no fee from a counterparty for being included in it.
Common questions
Do you hold client funds?
Where we provide paymaster and disbursement coordination, funds move between verified, KYC-approved parties under a signed service agreement. We are not a bank, an escrow provider, or a licensed remittance institution, and where a transaction genuinely requires one of those, a licensed provider performs that function.
Will you work on an SBLC or bank guarantee monetisation?
No. We discontinued that scope entirely because of the fraud risk in that market. This is not negotiable and it applies regardless of how the transaction is presented.
What do you need before you will consider an engagement?
The underlying commercial agreement, identification of every party receiving a distribution, evidence of the source of funds, and a distribution schedule. If any of those cannot be provided, we cannot proceed.
How do you prevent payment redirection fraud?
Every payment instruction is verified through a channel agreed at the outset that is not email, directly with a named contact confirmed at the start of the engagement. Amended bank details are always re-verified, without exception and regardless of how urgent the request appears.
How quickly can you act?
Screening and documentation typically take days rather than hours. If a transaction is presented as too urgent for proper verification, that is itself a reason for us to decline it.
Who pays you, and do you ever take a fee from the other side?
Our client pays us, and only our client. We do not accept a fee, commission, rebate or referral payment from a counterparty, or from any agent, provider, supplier or institution we introduce or work alongside. If one is offered, we decline it. This applies across every service we provide, without exception.