Investment market based on short-term credit instruments. An acceptance is a time draft or bill of exchange that is accepted as payment for goods. A banker's acceptance, for example, is a time draft drawn on and accepted by a bank, which is a common method of financing short-term debts in international trade including import-export transactions.
The acceptance market is useful to exporters, who are immediately paid for exports; for importers, who do not need to pay until possession of goods occurs; for the financial institutions, that are able to profit from the acceptances; and for investors who trade acceptances in the secondary market. Acceptances are sold in the secondary market at a discount from face value (similar to the Treasury Bill market), at published acceptance rates.