What AU Group does

AU Group is a Paris-headquartered, family-owned insurance brokerage and advisory firm founded in 1929, specializing in credit insurance, financing, and trade receivables management. The company serves approximately 5,100+ clients across large multinational groups, mid-sized companies (ETIs), and SMEs, operating across 50 countries with 310 experts deployed globally — including five dedicated North American offices (Naperville, Miami, New York, Grand Rapids, Raleigh) and five regional French subsidiaries (Assurance Crédit de l'Ouest, Sud-Ouest, Nord, Région Est, Rhône Alpes). The firm is supervised by the French ACPR and registered under six Orias numbers.

The product portfolio centers on five core lines: Credit Risk Insurance (protecting against customer defaults in 110+ countries), Factoring (converting receivables to immediate liquidity), Put Options for high-risk single buyers, Political Risk Guarantees (12-month to 7-year terms for international operations), and B2B BNPL with proprietary instant credit-scoring. Two proprietary digital platforms underpin the offering: AU Digital (credit management and receivables administration) and AU G-Grade (quarterly country risk analysis synthesizing evaluations from four major insurers — Allianz Trade, Coface, Atradius, Credendo — plus IMF indicators, covering 140+ countries with political violence ratings developed in partnership with Pangea-Risk).

AU Group operates as an independent broker earning commissions and advisory fees by structuring, placing, and managing insurance and financing programs across multiple carriers (Coface, Atradius, Allianz Trade, Credendo, AIG, Liberty Mutual, AXA, Solunion) without exclusive ties. The go-to-market is sales-led with enterprise field sales via Business Development Managers and a referral network of accountants, bankers, and advisors. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated individually. At scale, the firm manages 7,200+ insurance policies and €380M in annual guaranteed commercial transactions. The company is 100% family-owned with no institutional investors or public listing.

Name

AU Group

Legal name

AU Group - Assurance Universelle

Website

https://au-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

AU Group is a 100% family-owned, Paris-headquartered insurance brokerage founded in 1929, specializing in credit insurance, factoring, political risk coverage, and B2B BNPL for 5,100+ large multinationals, mid-sized firms, and SMEs across 50 countries via 310 experts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage and Advisory Services: As a broker and advisor, AU Group earns commissions and fees by structuring insurance and financing programs for clients. They evaluate options, compare market offers, and provide impartial recommendations. They support implementation and daily management of credit insurance, factoring, put options, and political risk coverage programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AU Group is an independent insurance broker and advisor that structures, places, and manages credit insurance, factoring, political risk, and trade receivables financing programs on behalf of businesses. It evaluates offerings from multiple insurers, designs tailored coverage, and supports clients through implementation and daily policy management across 50 countries.

Product overview

AU Group operates as a broker and advisor specialized in credit insurance, financing, and management of trade receivables. The core offering consists of Credit Risk Insurance (protecting against customer defaults), Factoring (converting receivables to liquidity), Put Options (single-buyer high-risk coverage), Political Risk Guarantees, and BNPL solutions. These are complemented by the Top Up add-on module that amplifies primary insurance coverage limits. The product portfolio is supported by two digital platforms: AU Digital (a comprehensive credit management platform for portfolio administration and accounts receivable management) and AU G-Grade (a quarterly country risk analysis tool synthesizing credit insurer evaluations with IMF data for over 140 countries). AU Group serves large multinational groups, mid-sized companies, and SMEs across energy, industry, luxury, construction, food, temporary employment, and textile sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AU G-Grade: Country risk analysis tool that provides quarterly risk ratings for 140+ countries, synthesized from evaluations by major credit insurers (Allianz Trade, Coface, Atradius, Credendo), enriched with IMF key performance indicators.
• AU Digital
• AU Group G-Grade

Products and services

• Credit Risk Insurance Insurance policy protecting businesses against customer defaults and delayed payments when selling goods or services on open terms. Covers commercial and political risks with coverage up to 110 countries.
• Factoring Financial solution that transforms trade receivables into immediately available liquidity, improving cash flow and reducing non-payment risk through transfer to a factor.
• Put Options (Accounts Receivable PUTs) High-risk single buyer coverage product mitigating non-payment risk on specific accounts through a put options structure, mostly used for specific high-risk buyers.
• Political Risk Guarantees Insurance covering companies against state abuse, political deterioration, security situations, and public/private debtor default in high-risk international markets. Includes asset risk coverage and export contract risks with 12-month to 7-year terms.
• Top Up Credit Insurance Second-layer coverage policy that supplements existing credit insurance by increasing coverage limits 2-3x beyond the primary insurer's initial limits without modifying the original policy, covering France and 150+ countries.
• BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) B2B payment solution enabling instant credit scoring of professional buyers using an algorithm that evaluates probability of default, granting deferred payment terms to customers while ensuring transaction protection and growth financing.
• Bonds and Financial Guarantees Contract and commercial bond solutions including bid bonds, performance bonds, payment bonds, warranty bonds, license bonds, judicial bonds, and customs/tax bonds issued through insurance companies.
• AU Digital Comprehensive credit management platform enabling businesses to administer their entire client portfolio, manage customer risk, and accelerate payment of outstanding accounts from a single platform, improving productivity and liquidity.
• AU G-Grade Quarterly country risk analysis tool synthesizing evaluations from major credit insurers (Allianz Trade, Atradius, Coface, Credendo) with IMF economic indicators, covering 140+ countries with ratings measuring commercial credit risk, sovereign risk, and political violence/terrorism.

Quantifiable outcome

• 380 million euros in annual commercial transactions guaranteed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• CofacecoreOthersMajor credit insurance provider partnered with AU Group for credit risk solutions. Coface is one of the leading credit insurers globally.
• AtradiuscoreOthersKey insurance partner providing credit insurance coverage options. One of the major credit insurers contributing to AU G-Grade country risk analysis.
• Allianz TradecoreOthersMajor global credit insurance provider. Contributing partner to AU G-Grade country risk analysis tool.
• CredendocoreOthersCredit insurance partner providing coverage solutions. Contributes to AU G-Grade country risk evaluations.
• AIGmajorOthersGlobal insurance company partner offering credit and political risk insurance solutions.
• Liberty MutualmajorOthersInsurance partner providing credit risk and surety solutions.
• AXAmajorOthersMajor insurance group partner for credit and political risk coverage.
• SolunioncoreOthersCredit insurance joint venture partner providing trade credit insurance solutions.
• Pangea RiskcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for country risk analysis. Developed the Political Violence and Terrorism (PVT) rating system in collaboration with AU Group for the AU G-Grade tool, providing evaluation of political violence risks including SRCC (Strikes, Riots & Civil Commotion) and general insecurity threats.
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)supportingOthersData provider for AU G-Grade analysis. IMF provides 7 key indicators (GDP, inflation, population, public debt, etc.) that enrich the country risk assessment tool.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Marsh (Marsh McLennan): Global insurance broker with a credit insurance and trade credit practice that competes for the same enterprise and mid-market placements as AU Group. Operates at vastly larger scale with placement relationships across the same major carriers.
• Aon: One of the world's largest insurance brokers with a dedicated Credit Solutions practice. Competes directly with AU Group for multinational credit insurance placements and offers broader risk advisory services that AU Group cannot match.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): Global insurance and reinsurance broker with credit insurance capabilities serving large corporate clients. Competes with AU Group for complex multinational placements while offering broader consulting and analytics.
• Arthur J. Gallagher: Large global insurance broker with significant specialty practices including credit and political risk. Competes with AU Group particularly in North America and Europe across mid-market and enterprise segments.
• Lockton: World's largest independent insurance broker — the closest analog to AU Group in terms of independence, specialty focus, and partner-led model. Competes with AU Group in credit insurance and broader commercial lines for mid-market and enterprise clients.
• Howden Group: Independent specialty insurance broker with European roots and growing global footprint. Competes with AU Group on specialty credit and political risk lines, especially in EMEA, and shares a similar independent positioning.
• Brown & Brown: Large US-listed insurance broker with a growing specialty practice. Competes with AU Group's North American operations for commercial and specialty placements across enterprise and mid-market clients.
• Alliant Insurance Services: Specialty insurance broker with a particular focus on mid-market and enterprise clients. Competes with AU Group for specialty credit and political risk placements, especially for North American accounts with cross-border exposure.
• CRC Group: US specialty wholesale and retail insurance broker competing for specialty placements that overlap with AU Group's credit insurance and political risk offerings for US-based enterprises.
• Hub International: North American insurance broker with international specialty capabilities. Competes with AU Group's North American offices (Naperville, Miami, New York, Grand Rapids, Raleigh) for commercial and specialty placements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/augroupglobal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/augroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AU Group