SBLC vs Bank Guarantee: Key Differences Explained

Let’s discuss ‘Standby Letter of Credit vs Bank Guarantee,’ which is a common confusion in the minds of many. A standby letter of credit and a bank guarantee are actually very similar products. As a matter of fact, if we go back and look at the origination of the standby letter of credit, we may be able to understand the similarity better. At SVF GP Ltd, we’ve seen clients mix them up many times, so let’s break it down in simple terms. Under the Glass-Steagall Act, passed by the US Congress in 1933, banks were not allowed to participate in investment banking activities. Consequently, they couldn’t issue a bank guarantee as well. As this was a lucrative business, they got around this act by forming their letters of credit as bank guarantees. They called this new product the standby letter of credit. From this, we can infer that the standby letter of credit is actually a hybrid version of a bank guarantee. Definitions of SBLC and Bank Guarantee

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SBLC vs Bank Guarantee: Key Differences Explained

Published on Nov 5, 2025

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Let’s discuss ‘Standby Letter of Credit vs Bank Guarantee,’ which is a common confusion in the minds of many. A standby letter of credit and a bank guarantee are actually very similar products. As a matter of fact, if we go back and look at the origination of the standby letter of credit, we may be able to understand the similarity better. At SVF GP Ltd, we’ve seen clients mix them up many times, so let’s break it down in simple terms. Under the Glass-Steagall Act, passed by the US Congress in 1933, banks were not allowed to participate in investment banking activities. Consequently, they couldn’t issue a bank guarantee as well. As this was a lucrative business, they got around this act by forming their letters of credit as bank guarantees. They called this new product the standby letter of credit. From this, we can infer that the standby letter of credit is actually a hybrid version of a bank guarantee.