Green Link Digital Bank (GLDB) and fintech platform 129Knots have launched a global embedded finance programme to address the persistent liquidity gap in the marine fuel industry.
The partnership will allow borrowers in the marine sector to access working capital financing through 129Knots’ Origination-to-Distribution (OTD) platform. The initiative aims to address the industry’s longstanding reliance on fragmented financing and informal credit channels.
Fuel represents one of the highest operating costs for shipping companies, often outpacing the capital cost of the vessel over its lifecycle by a factor of three to five. Yet, conventional finance models have largely excluded fuel procurement, creating a multibillion-dollar structural liquidity shortfall that the initiative seeks to resolve.
By integrating financial solutions directly into transaction flows, the GLDB–129Knots initiative introduces a new liquidity framework tailored to the operational needs of marine industry players. It enables institutional-grade liquidity, receivables financing, and programmable credit to be embedded within routine transactions.
The OTD platform will initially focus on marine fuel, but is designed to scale into alternative fuels procurement, energy transition financing, and long-term capital expenditure. The partnership also plans to roll out next-generation financial products including tokenised receivables, stablecoin settlements and programmable payment tools to further improve transparency and efficiency.
Vikash Dhanuka, founder and group CEO of 129Knots, says the new partnership “solves the perennial problem of credit accessibility in the marine fuel industry” by creating a scalable financial ecosystem around fuel procurement. “It also marks the first step toward filling a multibillion-dollar gap by building a new asset class,” he adds.
Melvin Teo, CEO of GLDB, says the bank is focused on embedding financial tools within supply chains. “We are breaking down traditional barriers and embedding financial solutions right where businesses operate,” he says.
129Knots was launched under the Singapore Economic Development Board’s Corporate Venture Launchpad programme, with support from McKinsey & Company, Enterprise Singapore and IBM Consulting. Its OTD platform is powered by a proprietary credit engine called TribalKnots, which turns deep-tier supply chains into investment-grade assets.
GLDB focuses on supporting MSMEs and technology-driven businesses worldwide through supply chain finance and digital lending, with a mission to deliver reliable and innovative financial services.
