How to pay Chinese suppliers from Bolivia

How to pay a Chinese supplier from Bolivia: the short answer

A Bolivian company pays a Chinese supplier by buying US dollars from its bank with bolivianos and asking the bank to send them by SWIFT to the supplier's account in China or Hong Kong. SWIFT is the international messaging network banks use for cross-border payments, and each bank has an 8 or 11 character SWIFT code. The company then clears the goods with the Aduana Nacional, the national customs service, with documents that match the payment.

Two changes in 2026 shape how this works. Bolivia ended its fixed exchange rate, and since 29 June 2026 the Banco Central de Bolivia (BCB) publishes an official rate each day based on what banks pay for dollars. And the banking regulator, the Autoridad de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero (ASFI), set commission bands for transfers abroad in April 2026, so the bank's commission is now a large part of the cost of paying a supplier.

The usual sequence for an order from China is:

1. Agree the price, the payment terms and the Incoterm with the supplier, and get a proforma invoice. An Incoterm is a standard trade term, such as FOB or CIF, that sets who pays freight and insurance.
2. Ask your bank for the exchange rate, the commission for a transfer abroad and the documents it needs before you confirm the order.
3. Pay the deposit by SWIFT from the company's account, quoting the invoice number.
4. Pay the balance against a copy of the bill of lading, or use a letter of credit or a documentary collection.
5. Clear the goods with the Aduana Nacional through a customs agency, with the commercial invoice and transport document.

This guide covers the Bolivian side of each step. For the supplier's side, such as how Chinese factories invoice and how to pay a Hong Kong account, see our general guide on how to pay suppliers in China.

Bolivia's 2026 exchange rate rules

From a fixed rate to a daily official rate

Bolivia kept a fixed rate of Bs 6.96 per US dollar from 2011. When dollars became scarce, a parallel market formed with a higher price, as reported by Correo del Sur. Supreme Decree 5503, published in December 2025, instructed the BCB to move to a new exchange regime and to coordinate with the Aduana Nacional on monitoring foreign trade operations and currency flows.

The Ministry of Economy and Public Finance set the regime in Ministerial Resolution 245/2026. The flexible rate took effect on Monday 29 June 2026, starting at Bs 9.73 per dollar, and the Aduana Nacional said it would apply the new system from 4 July 2026, as reported by Los Tiempos. BCB Board Resolution 142/2026 of 24 September 2026 now sets the method. The official rate, the Tipo de Cambio Oficial (TCO), is calculated each business day as the amount-weighted median of the dollars that multiple banks, SME banks and the public bank buy from their clients and the BCB, excluding trades between banks. The BCB publishes it at 23:30 for the next day, and Friday's rate applies on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The TCO is the reference for the public and economic agents.

Sources: Banco Central de Bolivia, Board Resolution 142/2026; Los Tiempos, 29 June 2026; Correo del Sur, 17 December 2025. as published on 29 October 2026. Confirm current rules with your bank.

For an importer, the official rate is a reference, not a guaranteed price. Ask your bank for its selling rate on the day you pay, and compare it with the TCO published the evening before.

How the money reaches a Chinese supplier

Most Chinese suppliers invoice in US dollars, and many invoice through a Hong Kong trading company with a Hong Kong bank account. A Bolivian importer pays in one of the ways below. Whichever route you use, the beneficiary should be the seller named on the commercial invoice you present to customs.

Routes as described in this guide; supplier-side checks from PNC Bank's summary of China's goods trade foreign exchange rules. as published on 29 October 2026.

Paying in yuan

Bolivia has used yuan in trade with China before. In July 2023 the then economy minister said that 278 million yuan, about $38.7 million, had been transacted from May to July, about 10% of Bolivia's foreign trade in that period, through the state-owned Banco Unión, as reported by TIME. Importers of vehicles and capital goods were among the users. Under the April 2026 ASFI bands, transfers abroad in currencies other than dollars above USD 1,000 can carry commissions of up to 20%, so ask for the full cost before choosing yuan.

What the supplier's bank checks

China manages foreign exchange through the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE). As summarized by PNC Bank, a Chinese company must be on SAFE's list of companies with goods trade foreign exchange business, and the supplier's bank verifies each receipt using documents such as the contract, invoice and customs declaration. The same summary states that the remitter and the beneficiary must be the parties to the contract. A payment from a company that is not on the contract can be held while the supplier's bank asks questions.

Deposit, balance and payment terms

The payment term decides when you buy dollars, how many transfers you pay commission on and what you hold in return.

Payment terms as commonly used in trade with China; commission bands from the eju.tv report of Resolución ASFI/299/2026. as published on 29 October 2026.

A letter of credit (LC) is a bank's written promise to pay the seller when it presents documents that comply with the credit's terms. A documentary collection sends the shipping documents through the banks, and you receive them only after you pay or accept a bill of exchange. A supplier that has not traded with you before may ask for an LC on the first order and accept deposit and balance on later orders.

With a floating rate, a deposit and a balance paid weeks apart are converted at different rates. Budget the balance at a rate you can live with, and agree with the supplier whether prices are fixed in dollars for the whole order.

What it costs: ASFI commission bands

ASFI sets bands for the commissions banks may charge on transfers abroad. Resolución ASFI/299/2026, approved in April 2026, amended the regulation on interest rates, commissions and fees, as reported by eju.tv. The bands below were set before the move to a flexible rate in June 2026, so ask your bank which commission it applies today.

Source: eju.tv report of Resolución ASFI/299/2026, 9 April 2026, as published on 29 October 2026. Each bank sets its commission within the bands; ask yours for its current tariff.

On a $40,000 order paid as a $12,000 deposit and a $28,000 balance, a 5% commission comes to $2,000 and a 10% commission to $4,000, before the exchange rate and correspondent charges. At that level the commission can exceed the freight cost, so include it in the landed cost of each order. Paying fewer, larger transfers does not lower a percentage commission, but it does reduce fixed correspondent charges.

Send SWIFT payments with the charge code OUR, which means you pay all transfer fees and the supplier receives the full invoice amount. SHA shares the fees, so intermediary deductions come out of the amount. BEN puts all fees on the supplier. A payment that arrives short delays shipment while the supplier queries the gap.

Documents that tie the payment to customs

The bank, customs and the supplier's bank each match the same facts: the supplier's name, the invoice number and the value. Keep them identical across every document.

Typical sequence compiled by the Helm Editorial Team; requirements vary by bank and product. as published on 29 October 2026.

A bill of lading is the document the shipping line issues when it receives the goods. Ask the supplier to send a copy before you pay the balance, and check that the shipper, consignee and goods match the invoice. If the final invoice differs from the proforma, keep the supplier's corrected invoice with the payment records, so the value you declare matches what you paid.

Agents, parallel dollars and USDT: what goes wrong

During the dollar shortage, many importers paid through agents, parallel market dealers or stablecoins. The facts below are what an importer should weigh before using these routes.

• Virtual assets are not legal tender. BCB Board Resolution 082/2024 of 25 June 2024 lifted the earlier restriction and allowed electronic payment channels to be used to buy virtual assets. The BCB stated that virtual assets are not legal tender, that no one is obliged to accept them as payment, and that users bear the risks.
• The rules are still being written. In July 2026 the economy minister said the government was evaluating whether to accept these assets as a means of payment and that there was no further regulation beyond lifting the ban, as reported by Los Tiempos. The same report said some banks offer USDT to clients, one of them so clients can transfer funds abroad.
• Correspondent banks look harder. Bolivia was placed on the FATF grey list in 2025 over anti-money laundering deficiencies, as reported by Los Tiempos. FATF is the international standard setter for anti-money laundering rules. Expect questions on payments that do not come from the importer's own account.
• The supplier's bank may query a third-party payment. China's rules expect the payer to be the party on the contract.
• There is no trace. Bolivianos handed to an agent or a dealer leave no bank record if the goods do not arrive.

Where Helm fits

Helm is a financial technology company, not a bank. Accounts are held with regulated partner institutions. Helm can serve businesses in Bolivia. A Helm account gives your company USD account details in its own name, with a US routing and account number that receives ACH, Fedwire and SWIFT payments.

For a Bolivian business that buys from China, it works like this:

• Pay suppliers in USD. Send international payments by SWIFT from your company's own account to the supplier's USD account in China or Hong Kong, with the rate, fee and expected arrival shown before you send.
• Use dollars you earn abroad. If the company exports or sells services abroad, customers can pay the USD account, and you can pay suppliers from the same balance without a transfer abroad from Bolivia.
• Convert stablecoins. If the company holds USDC or USDT, it can receive them and convert them to USD inside the account, then pay the supplier by SWIFT from the company's own name.
• Finance the order. Trade finance, such as supplier finance and working capital, is arranged case by case.

A Helm account sits outside Bolivia. Take Bolivian tax and legal advice on how payments from an account abroad are recorded for customs and tax, and on the treatment of virtual assets, which the government is still evaluating. Each account has a named account manager, and review questions are answered in writing within one business day. Helm agrees pricing with each business in writing before the account opens, and shows the rate, the fee and the expected arrival before you confirm each payment.

A checklist for paying a Chinese supplier from Bolivia

• Ask your bank for its selling rate, its commission for a transfer abroad and its document list before you confirm the order.
• Check the official rate the BCB published the evening before you pay.
• Include the transfer commission in the landed cost of each order.
• Check the seller on the invoice, the customs documents and the payment are the same company.
• Confirm any change of bank details by phone with a known contact.
• Send each payment by SWIFT with charges set to OUR, quoting the invoice number.
• Pay the balance against a copy of the bill of lading, or use a letter of credit for a new supplier.
• Keep the SWIFT confirmations with the invoice and customs declaration for each order.

For how other importers organize supplier payments, see the importers page.

Questions

References

1. Banco Central de Bolivia: Resolución de Directorio N° 142/2026 (24 September 2026), Reglamento de Operaciones Cambiarias
2. Los Tiempos: Rige el nuevo régimen de tipo de cambio flexible del dólar con Bs 9,73 (29 June 2026)
3. Correo del Sur: Decreto Supremo instruye al BCB transitar a un nuevo régimen cambiario (17 December 2025)
4. eju.tv: ASFI fija bandas tarifarias para giros y transferencias al exterior (9 April 2026)
5. Banco Central de Bolivia: Press release CP35/2024 on virtual assets (26 June 2024)
6. Los Tiempos: A falta de dólares, la banca migra a las criptomonedas con la norma del BCB (26 July 2026)
7. TIME: Bolivia uses the Chinese yuan in foreign trade (2023)
8. PNC Bank: Navigating China's regulations on foreign exchange for goods trade

This guide is general information for businesses, not financial, legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and timings were checked against the sources listed on the review date and may change.