Coface
Coface is a global trade credit insurer founded in 1946, listed on Euronext Paris, serving 100,000 clients across nearly 200 markets with trade credit insurance, business information, and debt collection services built on a proprietary 70-million-record corporate database.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1946
- HeadquartersBois-colombes, France
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Coface does
Coface is a French public limited company founded in 1946 and listed on Euronext Paris (ticker CFACY), headquartered in Bois-Colombes, France. The company is the third-largest global trade credit insurer and operates in an oligopoly that controls 75% of the trade credit insurance market. Coface generated approximately €1.84 billion in turnover in 2025 and reported €223 million in net income (down from €261 million in 2024), with a Group SCR coverage ratio of 197% and an A (Excellent) AM Best Financial Strength Rating. It is the third-largest in a tight oligopoly of credit insurers and operates with capital backing from Arch Capital, which holds a 29.5% stake.
The company's core products are trade credit insurance, business information services, and debt collection, all aimed at mitigating non-payment risk (cited as contributing to 25% of business failures). Underlying these is a proprietary database of 70 million corporate datasets that informs underwriting decisions and feeds a growing business information offering; the business information unit is estimated to generate 4% of group revenues with 15% annual growth potential. Delivery is multi-channel: a direct enterprise sales force across approximately 100 countries, the CofaNet customer portal, a Broker Portal, a Business Information Portal, and a public Coface API Portal (developers.coface.com) for software integration.
Coface serves roughly 100,000 clients across nearly 200 markets, with €725 billion of exposure under management and a 94.8% client retention rate as of Q1 2026. The company's underwriting performance is a notable differentiator, with a combined ratio of 71.9% versus competitors' 82.1%. Coface has pursued an aggressive data-focused M&A strategy, completing acquisitions of Rel8ed (January 2023, North America), Cedar Rose Group (July 2025, Middle East), and Novertur International SA (July 2025, Switzerland), and it issued a €300 million corporate bond in November 2023 to support strategic initiatives.
Coface firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Coface
- Legal name
- Compagnie Française d'Assurance pour le Commerce Extérieur
- Website
- https://coface.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1946
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Coface is a global trade credit insurer founded in 1946, listed on Euronext Paris, serving 100,000 clients across nearly 200 markets with trade credit insurance, business information, and debt collection services built on a proprietary 70-million-record corporate database.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Coface industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Credit Insurance
- NAICS
- Insurance Carriers and Related Activities (524)
- SIC
- Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Trade Credit Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAL)
Keywords
Where Coface is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bois-colombes
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Coface business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Trade Credit Insurance Premiums: Core revenue stream from trade credit insurance policies. Premiums are charged to businesses to protect against non-payment by their customers. The company generated approximately €1.84 billion in turnover in 2025 with 5,511 employees.
- Business Information Services: Revenue from business reports, credit scores, credit opinions, sector and country assessments. Non-insurance activities showed strong growth with business information revenue up 11.8% in Q1 2026.
- Debt Collection Services: Debt collection services where Coface experts collect trade receivables anywhere in the world. Non-insurance activities grew strongly (+9.2% to €43.9 million) with debt collection revenue up 31.6% in Q1 2026.
- Bond Issuance: Financial activities including bond issuance; Coface SA issued a 300 million euro bond as part of its financial activities.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Coface product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Coface provides trade credit insurance to protect businesses against the risk of customer non-payment, business information services including credit reports, scores, and country/sector risk assessments, and global debt collection services for recovering trade receivables. These offerings are delivered through underwriters, local offices in approximately 100 countries, and digital platforms including CofaNet, the Broker Portal, the Business Information portal, and the Coface API.
Product overview
Coface is a global credit insurance and business information group operating since 1946. The company offers three core products: Trade Credit Insurance (managing non-payment risk for businesses of all sizes), Business Information (credit reports, scores, and assessments for decision-making), and Debt Collection (global trade receivable recovery). These products are delivered through multiple platforms including CofaNet (customer portal), Broker Portal (for distribution partners), Business Information portal, and API Portal (for developer integrations). The company serves 100,000 clients across approximately 200 markets and has been expanding its data capabilities through strategic acquisitions including Rel8ed (2023), Novertur International SA (2025), and Cedar Rose Group (2025).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Trade Credit Insurance
Quantifiable outcome
- Combined ratio of 71.9% versus competitors' 82.1%
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Coface
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Coface technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Coface partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Novertur International SAcoreAgreement to acquire Novertur International SA, a Swiss startup specializing in data management for Swiss companies, based in Lausanne. The acquisition aims to enhance Coface's Business Information services in Switzerland by leveraging Novertur's digital expertise and technological innovations.
- Cedar Rose GroupcoreAcquisition of Cedar Rose Group, a business information provider in the Middle East, enhancing Coface's data capabilities in regions with limited information access. The acquisition aligns with Coface's strategic plan to focus on data excellence and strengthen offerings in credit insurance and business information services in the Middle East and Africa.
- Rel8edcoreAcquisition of North American data analytics boutique Rel8ed to enhance Coface's data capabilities and improve trade credit solutions. The acquisition expands Coface's database and analytics offerings, benefiting risk assessment and business information services. Rel8ed specializes in big data analysis from multiple sources.
- HowdenminorHowden has partnered with Coface to offer trade credit insurance solutions to businesses seeking protection against customer defaults. This partnership expands distribution reach through insurance broker channels.
- Cisambiente ConfindustriaminorCoface developed the Cisambiente Confindustria ESG model together with the organization, demonstrating collaboration on sustainability and ESG frameworks in the Italian waste valorization and renewable energy sector.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Coface competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Munich Re: Global reinsurer with a credit insurance franchise that competes both at the primary level (through subsidiaries) and as a reinsurer of Coface's own book.
- AIG: Global insurer with a multi-line trade credit insurance business alongside far larger P&C, life, and specialty operations; competes with Coface for large-enterprise credit insurance mandates.
- Zurich Insurance Group: Diversified global insurer that offers trade credit insurance as part of its commercial insurance portfolio, overlapping with Coface on multi-line accounts and broker-distributed business.
- S&P Global: Owns S&P Ratings and S&P Global Market Intelligence (including the former Bureau van Dijk), competing with Coface on corporate credit intelligence, analytics, and ESG/country risk assessments.
- Moody's Corporation: Operates Moody's Ratings and Moody's Analytics, both of which overlap with Coface's credit opinions, country/sector risk assessments, and business information offerings for institutional buyers.
Direct peers
- Allianz Trade (formerly Euler Hermes): The world's largest trade credit insurer and Coface's principal direct competitor, offering credit insurance, business information, and debt collection across similar geographies and customer segments.
- Atradius: Second-largest global trade credit insurer and head-to-head competitor with Coface, providing comparable trade credit insurance, surety, collections, and business information products to similar B2B exporters and domestic traders.
- Tokio Marine HCC: Specialty insurer with a dedicated trade credit insurance arm serving mid-market and enterprise exporters; competes directly with Coface on credit insurance underwriting and related risk services.
- Dun & Bradstreet: Global provider of business information, commercial credit reports, and data analytics; directly comparable to Coface's Business Information unit and increasingly relevant as Coface expands its BI and data monetization strategy.
- Creditsafe: Global commercial credit reporting and business intelligence provider offering credit scores, reports, and monitoring — directly competing with Coface's Business Information platform for SMB and mid-market customers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Coface social profiles
Digital presenceCoface financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Coface leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Coface subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Coface funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Coface M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A10 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Coface
What does Coface do?
Coface provides trade credit insurance to protect businesses against the risk of customer non-payment, business information services including credit reports, scores, and country/sector risk assessments, and global debt collection services for recovering trade receivables. These offerings are delivered through underwriters, local offices in approximately 100 countries, and digital platforms including CofaNet, the Broker Portal, the Business Information portal, and the Coface API.
Is Coface a public or private company?
Coface is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Coface founded?
Coface was founded in 1946. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Coface based?
Coface is headquartered in Bois-colombes, France, in the Europe region.
How does Coface make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Trade Credit Insurance Premiums are the primary driver. The others are business Information Services, debt Collection Services and bond Issuance.
Who are Coface's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Munich Re, AIG, Zurich Insurance Group, S&P Global and Moody's Corporation. Direct peers are Allianz Trade (formerly Euler Hermes), Atradius, Tokio Marine HCC, Dun & Bradstreet and Creditsafe.
Does Coface have an API?
Yes. Coface offers a public API catalogue and integrated solutions for Business Information and trade credit insurance. The API enables developers to access Coface services programmatically. Stop juggling between software applications. Explore Coface API Catalogue and Integrated Solutions for Business Information by Coface and trade credit insurance. Developer documentation is at developers.coface.com.
What industry is Coface in?
Coface's product category is Trade Credit Insurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEADAL, Trade Credit Insurance Brokerage. Its NAICS code is 524 and its SIC code is 7320.