English for Corporate Banking Client Meetings

A corporate banking meeting is not simply a product presentation. The banker needs to understand the client’s business, funding requirement and priorities before discussing possible solutions. Good English therefore helps you structure the conversation and ask useful questions.

Open the meeting and set the agenda

• “Thanks for making the time today.”
• “I thought we could start with an update on the business, then discuss your funding requirements and possible next steps.”
• “Is there anything else you’d like to make sure we cover?”

A short agenda makes the meeting feel organised without sounding overly formal.

Understand the business context

• “How has trading developed since we last spoke?”
• “What are the main priorities for the business over the next 12 months?”
• “Are there any significant changes in your customer or supplier base?”
• “Which parts of the business are driving most of the growth?”

Explore the funding need

• “Could you talk me through the funding requirement?”
• “What will the additional liquidity be used for?”
• “How much flexibility do you need around drawdowns and repayments?”
• “Is this primarily a working-capital requirement or longer-term funding?”
• “What timing are you working toward?”

Clarify financial information

• “Could I check what is included in that figure?”
• “When you say EBITDA, are you using the reported number or an adjusted figure?”
• “What is driving the increase in receivables?”
• “Do you expect the working-capital build to unwind?”
• “Could you share the latest forecast after the meeting?”

Present a possible solution without overselling it

• “One option we could explore is a revolving facility that provides more flexibility around working capital.”
• “Based on what you’ve described, a term structure may be more appropriate for the longer-term investment.”
• “We would need to complete our credit review before confirming terms, but I can outline the likely structure.”

Words such as could, may, likely and subject to are important when the proposal has not yet been approved.

Handle concerns professionally

• “I understand the concern around pricing.”
• “Let me explain what is driving the proposed margin.”
• “There may be some flexibility around the structure, although I can’t commit to that today.”
• “I’ll take that point back to the credit team.”

Summarise and agree next steps

• “Let me summarise what we’ve agreed.”
• “You’ll send us the updated forecast and management accounts, and we’ll come back with an initial structure.”
• “We should be able to provide feedback by Friday.”
• “Would it be useful to schedule a follow-up once we’ve reviewed the information?”

A concise meeting flow

“Thanks for joining. I suggest we start with an update on trading and then focus on the funding requirement. From what you’ve described, the main need is additional working-capital flexibility over the next 18 months. We’ll need the updated forecast and receivables ageing to assess the request. Once we’ve reviewed those, we can discuss the facility size, structure and indicative pricing.”

The strongest client-meeting English is not a long list of banking terms. It is the language that helps you ask the right question, clarify the answer and move the conversation toward a clear next step.