Coface

Compagnie Française d'Assurance pour le Commerce Extérieur (Coface) is a global leader in trade credit insurance and risk management. Founded in 1946 as the French specialist export credit insurance company, it was initially created by the French state to insure political, monetary, and exceptional trade risks. During the 1990s, Coface embarked on a significant international expansion through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Key acquisitions included La Viscontea in Italy (1992), London Bridge Finance in the UK (1993), Allgemeine Kredit in Germany (1996), and Osterreichische Kreditversicherung in Austria (1997). This period of growth was pivotal in establishing Coface's extensive global network. In 1994, the majority of Coface's capital was privatised, though it continued to manage public guarantees on behalf of the French state until 2016, when these activities were transferred to the public bank Bpifrance.

Headquartered in Bois-Colombes, near Paris, Coface has a direct or indirect presence in 100 countries and supports approximately 100,000 client companies across 200 markets. The company's core mission is to facilitate trade by providing businesses with solutions to protect them against the risk of non-payment from their clients in both domestic and export markets. Its services are crucial for companies of all sizes, from SMEs to large multinationals, enabling them to make informed credit decisions and secure their commercial transactions. Coface offers a comprehensive range of services, including trade credit insurance, debt collection, business information, single risk insurance, surety bonds, and factoring. The company's economic research department is a key asset, publishing quarterly country and sector risk assessments for 160 countries, which are highly regarded in the industry. Listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange in 2014, Coface continues to evolve, leveraging its deep expertise and extensive data to help businesses trade more safely and build stronger, more dynamic enterprises in a volatile global economic environment.