- SCO
- FCO
- LOI
- ICPO
- CIS
FCOFull Corporate Offer
Quick answer
Full Corporate Offer (FCO): The seller's detailed binding-style offer with full specification, procedure, payment terms and delivery
Stage in the chain
Follows the buyer's LOI or ICPO, issued by the seller
Purpose
The seller's detailed binding-style offer with full specification, procedure, payment terms and delivery
Scam warning
An FCO should match a real product you can inspect; fantasy volumes at deep discounts are the classic warning sign
What is FCO in a gold deal?
FCO stands for Full Corporate Offer. The seller's detailed binding-style offer with full specification, procedure, payment terms and delivery It is one of the instruments buyers, sellers and brokers exchange when structuring a physical gold transaction, and it is searched for on its own precisely because so few legitimate origin exporters explain it in context.
Guyana Gold Mines publishes this page as part of a complete, plain-language map of the deal-flow chain, from the first soft corporate offer through to final settlement by wire. Understanding where FCO sits, and what it does and does not prove, is the difference between a clean transaction and an expensive mistake.
In the usual sequence, FCO follows SCO (Soft Corporate Offer) and leads toward LOI (Letter of Intent). It is a step, not a shortcut.
Where it sits in the deal-flow chain
Follows the buyer's LOI or ICPO, issued by the seller The chain runs, in broad terms, from the soft and full corporate offers, through the buyer's letter of intent or purchase order, the non-circumvention and fee-protection agreements that protect brokers, the sale and purchase agreement, the proof of funds and product, the payment security such as a documentary or standby letter of credit, and finally settlement by MT103 wire once the gold is delivered and assayed.
Every step exists to reduce risk for one side or the other. FCO plays its specific role in that risk allocation, and it is most often seen alongside SCO, ICPO, SPA. Treating it in isolation, or accepting it as proof that a deal is real, is how buyers and sellers get drawn into fraud.
Verification
How to handle this step
- 1
Where it appears
Follows the buyer's LOI or ICPO, issued by the seller In a real Guyana-to-Dubai gold deal, FCO is one link in a longer chain, not the whole transaction.
- 2
What it is meant to do
The seller's detailed binding-style offer with full specification, procedure, payment terms and delivery
- 3
How to verify it
Confirm FCO independently: check the issuing party, and where a bank message or instrument is involved, verify it bank-to-bank rather than trusting an emailed copy.
- 4
What happens next
Once FCO is in place, the deal typically moves toward LOI (Letter of Intent).
How FCO works in practice
In practice, FCO is issued or exchanged at a defined point and then relied on by the other party. The seller's detailed binding-style offer with full specification, procedure, payment terms and delivery What it is worth depends entirely on who stands behind it and whether it can be verified through a trustworthy channel.
For physical gold specifically, the golden rule is that documents and messages are never a substitute for seeing and assaying the metal. A genuine Guyana-origin transaction is built around inspection and assay in Dubai, with settlement calculated on the confirmed content. Any structure that inverts that order, asking for value to move before the gold is verified, deserves close scrutiny.
FCO and how it is abused
An FCO should match a real product you can inspect; fantasy volumes at deep discounts are the classic warning sign
The gold trade attracts advance-fee fraud, fake safe-keeping receipts, leased-instrument offers and fantasy discounts to spot. Fraudsters lean on official-sounding terms and template documents to rush a counterparty into paying a fee or releasing value early. The defence is simple and consistent: verify independently, never pay large sums before inspection, and walk away from any deal that depends on urgency and secrecy.
Safety
Genuine versus scam
Signals of a genuine procedure
- Instruments and messages verified bank-to-bank, not by emailed copy
- Inspection and assay before any large payment moves
- Realistic pricing tied to the LBMA spot
- A clear, written sequence with no pressure or secrecy
Red flags to walk away from
- Demands to issue instruments or pay fees before inspection
- Deep, unexplained discounts to the spot price
- Reliance on urgency, secrecy and template paperwork
- Counterparties that cannot be verified independently
How we handle payment and settlement
Guyana Gold Mines sells on payment-after-assay terms. You inspect and assay the gold in Dubai, and settlement follows on the confirmed content, commonly within twenty-four to seventy-two hours of inspection. For larger, ongoing programmes, payment can be structured around a documentary letter of credit or a standby instrument issued bank-to-bank, with final settlement by MT103.
Because our model is built on verified metal rather than advance payment, we have no reason to pressure a buyer into posting fees or instruments before the gold is seen. If you are evaluating an offer that does, this page and the wider payment-terms guide are here to help you tell the difference.
Frequently asked questions
What does FCO stand for?
FCO stands for Full Corporate Offer. The seller's detailed binding-style offer with full specification, procedure, payment terms and delivery
Where does FCO come in a gold deal?
Follows the buyer's LOI or ICPO, issued by the seller
Is FCO proof that a gold deal is real?
No. FCO is one step in the chain. It should be verified independently, and it is never a substitute for inspecting and assaying the gold before payment.
How is FCO used in scams?
An FCO should match a real product you can inspect; fantasy volumes at deep discounts are the classic warning sign
Related instruments in the chain
Planning a gold deal?
We sell on payment-after-assay terms, no advance payments. Talk to our trade desk.