short-term credit instrument consisting of a written order requiring a buyer to pay a specified sum at a given date to the seller, signed by the buyer as an indication of his intention to honour his obligation. Acceptances are used in financing export and import operations and in some domestic transactions involving staple commodities.

An exporter of goods, for example, may send such an order to pay to the buyer, who signs it to indicate his acceptance of the obligation and returns it to the exporter. The exporter can then obtain his payment promptly by selling the bill (or acceptance) to his bank at a discount. The buyer has obtained time (until the bill's maturity date) to dispose of the goods and obtain the funds to meet his obligation.

This is known as a self-liquidating transaction, and this characteristic has given trade acceptances excellent credit standing (with consequent widespread use) in many countries. The acceptance market therefore provides investors with a means of employing temporarily excess funds for short periods of time with a minimum of risk.

If a bill of exchange is accepted by the buyer of the goods, it is known as a trade acceptance. If the bill is drawn against and accepted by a bank (commonly done when the buyer is not a widely known firm), it is called a banker's acceptance.