Student
1836 Points
Joined July 2009
Meaning:
An unconditional order issued by a person or business which directs the recipient to pay a fixed sum of money to a third party at a future date. The future date may be either fixed or negotiable. A bill of exchange must be in writing and signed and dated. also called draft.
Definition according to Section 4 of The Negotiable Instrument Act 1881 "A Bof E is an instrument in writing containing an unconditional order signed by the maker, directing a certain person to pay a certain sum of money only to,or to the orderof certain person to the bearer of the instrument."
Purpose:
The BoE (or it's also called a draft) is widely used in international trade, typically in payment against a letter of credit (L/C). The good thing is that it's transferrable