Article provided by Coface
Who is Coface?
Coface protects companies all over the world against unpaid debts – 80% of companies have to deal with bad debt of bankruptcy filings and 20% are due to unpaid debt.
Since we believe that trade creates wealth and stability, we help companies grow and in turn help to improve our world. Our purpose stems from our founding values: customer focus, expertise, collaboration, courage and accountability.
3 Areas of expertise at Coface
- Risk Management
- Risk Coverage
- Compensation & Debt Collection
We believe that trade is the driving force behind value creation and stability on a worldwide scale, but it is a risky and complex world out there. That is why it is our job to help you make the right decisions, so you can get on with growing your business without any disruptions. Because each market is unique, there are two essential dimensions to how we operate: expertise and agility. Our employees are ready, willing and able to assist in more than 100 countries where Coface can support you.
Whatever your business sector, Coface provides advice and guidance so that you can manage your main risks effectively and achieve your strategic objectives. We provide you with world-class expertise in terms of risk prevention and cover, compensation and recovery. We consider our clients as true partners: with a company size that allows us to provide a personal touch, we are by your side and on hand to reply to your queries every day. Together, we make the necessary decisions that will allow you to create value and grow with confidence.
Key figures & statistics
- 13 economists conducting research for internal use within the group as well as external use by clients and the public
- 150 studies & analyses produced each year in
- 13 sectors on 6 major regions of the world
- 162 countries assessed throughout the year
- 340 credit analysts specialising by business sector and sharing their know-how
- 62 % debt collection rate after 1 year
- 32 partner companies
- 185 law firms
- 230 coface debt collection experts
Trade Credit Insurance
Tell me about Trade Credit insurance
In business, cash flow can often mean the difference between success and failure. This is why we focus on the risk of payment delays and non-payment of invoices. Our credit insurance offer is there to protect you against unpaid invoices at home and abroad. We offer this to all sizes of companies from SME’s to multinationals.
What cover does Trade Credit Insurance provide businesses with?
Trade insurance provides businesses with a level of comfort as we cover all invoices raised on terms with buyers (That remain unpaid) which also allows business to make informed decision about who they are trading with at any given time.
5 reasons to choose Coface credit insurance
- Prevent and receive compensation for non-payment by customers
- Receive high-quality and powerful safeguarding from Coface
- Enjoy personalised advice from a Coface expert active in your market
- Focus on your growth
- Cover – If a debtor defaults, Coface pays you an indemnity to cushion the impact of the resulting loss.
Product offering
Coface offers a wide variety of solutions from small SME’s with an annual turnover of R1 million to your large multi-national companies with an annual turnover of over R2 Billion. Our EasyLiner solution is available for small to medium enterprises, TradeLiner solution for your medium to large enterprise with a turnover exceeding R40 million and finally GlobaLiner for our large corporates that operate in more than two countries.
EasyLiner
EasyLiner is an insurance package to protect you against unpaid invoices at home or abroad. The package includes three essential elements to ensure effective management of the credit you grant to your customers.
- Information and advice to avoid trading with poor payers
- The collection of unpaid invoices
- Indemnification should collection take too long
For more information on EasyLiner, click on the link below:
TradeLiner
TradeLiner safe-guards your cash-flow and is an effective tool to enhance your credit management… bringing you peace of mind, financial stability and facilitating the healthy growth of your business. TradeLiner means continuous prevention and protection from the risk of non-payment of:
- Sales on your domestic and export markets,
- Sales of your subsidiaries.
For more information on TradeLiner, click on the link below:
GlobaLiner
GlobaLiner is a product that best serves major international accounts. GlobaLiner allows you and your subsidiaries to centrally negotiate the implementation of a harmonised trade credit insurance solution throughout the world.
GlobaLiner ensures that the credit you grant to your customers is managed effectively through:
- Prevention of bad debts
- Collection of unpaid invoices
- Indemnification of losses
For more information on GlobaLiner, click on the link below:
Coface collect
Debt collection is an essential facet of the risk management that Coface offers its clients. This activity requires a high level of legal expertise and a global talent network, which Coface has both through its own resources as well as through those of its “Coface partners” partner network. Our clients have access to our debt collection services for both their insured and uninsured invoices.
For more information on Coface Collect, click on the link below:
Protection and pricing
How would this benefit my business in terms of my buyers?
- The benefits of Trade credit insurance is a peace of mind in trade during a sometimes uncertain and volatile environment and also the information on your potential new debtors would allow you as a client to make more of an informed decision on your future trading partners (Point form)
- It helps you avoid potential pitfalls with existing and potential clients, (For example we would inform you if one of our buyers defaults with another of our clients which could also impact your business
- Coface would collect on any unpaid debt meaning the relationship with you and your buyer remains intact.
I find this kind of cover to be rather expensive though
- With a non-payment of an invoice, you are refunded by your Trade Credit Insurance policy or alternatively should you not claim you would be refunded a performance bonus – it means that you could even gain something! Which means, that at the end of the day, the trade credit insurance policy can be free (Link for TCI is free infographic)
How does this cover my local and international customers?
Coface is able to protect you against unpaid invoices both locally and abroad – We have over 4500 employees across the globe in over 100 countries (Either directly or through a subsidiary) and also able to underwriting facilities in over 200 countries.
How does TCI protect my balance sheet?
- Trade Credit Insurance protects your business against fluctuations in cash flow – which allows you to run your business more efficiently
- Unpaid invoices means one of your most important assets on your balance sheet is exposed, through TCI you are protecting your account receivables leaving you less exposed.
- One of the biggest causes of bankruptcy or insolvency is due to invoices being unpaid,
- Protecting your business against unpaid invoices allows you the comfort to trade on terms knowing your balance sheet is protected in the event of a default.
How do I claim against a loss?
Putting in a claim with Coface is a simple process. If your client fails to honor an invoice outside of the agreed credit terms, then you may put a claim to recover that loss. The other way is if your debtor becomes insolvent then you would notify us of the insolvency within 7 days and Coface would then pay out a claim within 30 days of notifying us of the insolvency. Coface will endeavor to always try collect any claim handed over to us in full on behalf of all our policyholders.