What Is a Digital Negotiable Instrument (DNI)?

A Digital Negotiable Instrument, often referred to as a DNI, is the electronic form of a traditional negotiable instrument such as a Bill of Exchange or Promissory Note. It preserves the defining legal characteristics of negotiability, transferability, and enforceability while replacing paper-based execution with digital workflows.

Negotiable instruments have long been trusted in trade finance because they clearly define payment obligations and can be transferred to third parties. DNIs maintain this function, but remove the delays and risks associated with physical documents.

Issuance and execution take place digitally, reducing processing time and improving reliability. Ownership and lifecycle events can be tracked with clarity, supporting financing, audit, and compliance activities.

DNIs are particularly effective in working capital use cases. Once issued, they can be financed by banks or other funding providers, allowing businesses to access liquidity embedded in future payments.

By digitising negotiable instruments rather than replacing them, DNIs offer a practical route to modernising trade finance without disrupting established legal or commercial frameworks.