LMA-Helix

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  Command Center

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  Ingestion and Extraction

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  Covenant Desk

Inspiration

The $1.2 Trillion "Analog" Gap The syndicated loan market is the engine of global finance, yet it runs on a surprisingly archaic fuel: Static PDFs. We discovered a critical gap between "Legal Truth" (the 200-page Facility Agreement) and "Operational Truth" (the data in the bank's settlement system). Currently, Operations teams spend thousands of hours "staring and comparing"—manually re-keying data from contracts into spreadsheets. This leads to: Operational Risk: Manual error creeps into interest calculations. Liquidity Drag: Secondary trading is slowed by weeks of due diligence. Greenwashing: ESG targets in Sustainability-Linked Loans (SLLs) are hard to verify and track. We built LMA Helix to replace this manual friction with a deterministic, digital infrastructure. We wanted to move the industry from "Document-Centric" to "Data-Centric."

What it does

LMA Helix is the Operating System for Syndicated Loans. It transforms static LMA Facility Agreements into executable Digital Twins (Passports).

The platform operates on three core pillars:

Mint (Digital Loans): Helix ingests unstructured PDF agreements. Using Gemini 1.5 Pro, it extracts the economic DNA of the deal (Borrower, Amount, Margin, Covenants). Crucially, it uses a "Source-to-Twin" Provenance Engine—every extracted data point is cryptographically linked back to its specific clause coordinate (e.g., Clause 8.1), allowing Legal and Risk teams to verify data before "minting" the asset.

Monitor (Keeping Loans on Track): Once minted, the Digital Passport is "alive." It connects to borrower ERP systems to run real-time covenant tests (e.g., Leverage Ratio). If a breach is detected (e.g., > 4.00x), the system triggers a "Self-Healing" risk triage workflow, creating an immutable audit trail.

Green Ledger (Greener Lending): Helix features a dedicated SLL Engine. It automatically detects "Schedule 9" (Sustainability Parameters), monitors verified KPI performance (e.g., Carbon Intensity), and—most importantly—auto-executes margin ratchets, applying price discounts (e.g., -5 bps) when targets are met.

How we built it

We architected Helix as an Institutional Terminal—prioritizing security, speed, and stability.

The Brain: We utilized Google Gemini 1.5 Pro via AI Studio for the extraction pipeline. Its massive context window allowed us to parse complex legal logic (like margin grids) that standard OCR misses.

The Core: The application is built with React 18 and Tailwind CSS, designed with a "Dark Mode" aesthetic similar to Bloomberg Terminals to reduce eye strain for analysts.

The Architecture: We engineered a Zero-Dependency UMD Architecture. The app runs entirely client-side without heavy node_modules, ensuring it is lightweight, secure, and deployable anywhere (from a local bank server to the edge).

Data Persistence: We implemented a local persistence layer (simulating IndexedDB) to maintain state across the "Command Center," "Minter," and "Monitor" views, proving the continuity of the loan lifecycle.

Challenges we ran into

The "Trust Gap": We realized early on that banks will never trust a "Black Box" AI. To solve this, we pivoted from "Auto-Pilot" to "Co-Pilot." We built the Human-in-the-Loop interface where extraction is editable and linked to the source text.

Legal Logic Complexity: Extracting a number is easy; extracting a rule is hard. Margin Ratchets (e.g., "If Leverage < 3.5x, Margin = 2.00%") required complex prompt engineering to translate legal clauses into executable JavaScript logic.

Visualizing "Invisible" Risks: Showing a covenant breach is mathematically simple but visually boring. We spent significant time designing the "Risk Gauge" and "Impact Dashboard" to make financial health visceral and immediate.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The SLL Pricing Engine: We successfully modeled the logic where a specific ESG KPI achievement automatically triggers a basis-point price reduction in the UI.

The "Command Center" UX: We moved away from a generic website look and achieved a true "Fintech Product" feel.

Scenario Versatility: The platform seamlessly handles three distinct loan types (Standard, Distressed/Breach, and Green/SLL) in a single unified interface.

What we learned

We gained a deep appreciation for the LMA (Loan Market Association) standards. Structure is liquidity. By standardizing how data is extracted, we realized we aren't just saving time—we are creating a new asset class of "Smart Debt" that can be traded instantly.

What's next for LMA-Helix

Interoperability: Integration with Versana or Blockchain ledgers to make the "Minted Passport" a cross-bank standard.

Multi-Doc Parsing: Expanding the ingestion engine to handle Intercreditor Agreements and Fee Letters simultaneously.

Live ERP Connectors: Moving from simulated data feeds to actual SAP/Oracle API integrations.

Built With

• google-gemini
• html5
• javascript
• lucide-icons
• prompt-engineering
• react
• recharts
• tailwindcss