Coface

What Coface does

Coface (Compagnie Française d'Assurance pour le Commerce Extérieur S.A.) is a publicly listed global trade credit insurance and risk management company, founded in 1946 and headquartered in Bois-Colombes, France, with shares traded on Euronext Paris under ticker COFA. The company insures approximately €725 billion of business receivables for 100,000 customers across 200+ countries and is regulated by ACPR (France) and BaFin (Germany) under Solvency II, maintaining eligible own funds of €2,601 million, a 197% SCR coverage ratio, and financial strength ratings of Fitch AA, Moody's A1, and AM Best A+.

The company's core product is trade credit insurance (Warenkreditversicherung), sold in tiered offerings for small businesses (turnover under €10M), mid-market (€10–100M), large enterprises, and multinational corporations, with premiums typically priced annually as a percentage of insurable turnover. Complementary offerings include Single Risk political-risk insurance for large projects, Business Information Services (Wirtschaftsauskünfte) delivered through the Urba360 platform — now enhanced by LSEG Risk Intelligence's World-Check One — covering creditworthiness data on 240 million companies, as well as debt collection (Inkasso), surety bonds (Bürgschaften), and factoring services. The Alyx digital platform serves as an all-in-one credit management interface for insured clients, automating daily credit risk tasks and integrating with accounting systems and major information providers.

Coface operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct enterprise sales through country offices in 100+ markets, broker/agent distribution via a dedicated Broker Portal, and self-service digital tools (CofaNet Essentials, CofaBond, Debt Collection Extranet). The 'Power the Core' strategic plan emphasizes data excellence and technology, supported by the establishment of an internal Technology Hub and the recent launch of Coface Lloyd's Syndicate 2546 — managed by Apollo Syndicate Management — to extend distribution into the Lloyd's market. Five wholly-owned operating subsidiaries in Germany (Coface Debitorenmanagement GmbH, Coface Finanz GmbH, Coface Information Services GmbH, and the German branch entity) execute the bulk of European operations.

Name

Coface

Legal name

Compagnie Française d'Assurance pour le Commerce Extérieur S.A.

Website

https://coface.de

Company type

Public

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Coface is a publicly listed global trade credit insurer (Euronext Paris: COFA) founded in 1946, serving 100,000 customers in 200+ countries with €725 billion in insured receivables. It provides credit insurance, business information, debt collection, sureties, and factoring products powered by a proprietary database of 240 million companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Credit Insurance

NAICS

Insurance Carriers and Related Activities (524), Sales Financing (52222), International, Secondary Market, and All Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation (522299)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331), Insurance Carriers, Nec (6399), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Receivables Finance (Factoring, Invoice Discounting, Forfaiting) (FSABAHAD)

Keywords

• Trade credit insurance
• Credit risk management
• Business information services
• Commercial debt collection
• Surety bond services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bois-colombes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Trade Credit Insurance Premiums: Coface's primary revenue stream from providing trade credit insurance (Warenkreditversicherung) to protect businesses against customer insolvency and payment defaults. Revenue is generated through insurance premiums charged to policyholders, typically structured as annual or multi-year contracts with premiums based on insurable turnover and risk profile.
2. Business Information Services: B2B credit ratings, company creditworthiness reports, and business information data services provided as a strategic business unit. Information from credit insurance operations is processed using advanced analytics and offered as standalone data products through platforms such as Urba360.
3. Debt Collection / Inkasso: Commercial debt collection services where Coface acts as an agency specializing in the recovery of unpaid invoices on behalf of clients, including back-up servicing capabilities.
4. Sureties and Bonds / Bürgschaften: Guarantee and surety products including contract bonds, customs and tax bonds, and payment bonds — providing coverage for contractual and legal obligations.
5. Factoring: Factoring services including full-service factoring, in-house factoring, reverse factoring, and maturity factoring — enabling clients to convert receivables into liquidity.
6. Single Risk Insurance / Einzelrisiken: Customized insurance coverage for political risks and payment defaults on complex, long-term projects — tailored for large investment goods and international project finance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Coface fundamentally provides trade credit insurance (Warenkreditversicherung) that protects businesses against customer insolvency and unpaid invoices, with tiered solutions tailored for small businesses, mid-market firms, large enterprises, and multinational corporations. The offering is complemented by business information services (company creditworthiness reports, B2B credit checks, Urba360 platform), commercial debt collection (Inkasso), surety bonds and guarantees (Bürgschaften), factoring services (full-service, in-house, reverse, and maturity), and single-risk political insurance for complex international projects.

Product overview

Coface is a global trade credit insurance and risk management company operating as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering consists of trade credit insurance products (Kreditversicherung) serving businesses of all sizes from small enterprises to multinational corporations, complemented by Business Information Services (Wirtschaftsauskünfte) including the Urba360 platform for company information and credit assessments. Additional core products include Single Risk insurance for complex projects, Debt Collection (Inkasso) services, Surety Bonds & Guarantees (Bürgschaften), and Factoring solutions. The digital ecosystem includes the Alyx all-in-one credit management platform, CofaNet Essentials customer portal, Broker Portal, Coface Bond management tool, and the Länder- und Branchen-Risiko Dashboard for country and sector risk analysis. Coface also publishes the annual Country & Sector Risk Handbook covering 160 countries and 13 industries, and operates the Lloyd's Syndicate 2546 for AA-rated trade credit solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alyx: Digital assistant for credit management that automates daily credit management processes for Coface policyholders, integrating accounting, credit risk, and business data
• Urba360
• CofaNet Essentials
• Coface Bond
• Broker Portal
• Coface Lloyd's Syndicate 2546

Products and services

• Trade Credit Insurance (Kreditversicherung / Warenkreditversicherung) Trade credit insurance protecting businesses against customer insolvency and unpaid invoices through merchandise credit insurance, available in tiered solutions for small businesses (turnover under €10M), mid-market (€10–100M), large enterprises, and multinational corporations.
• Business Information Services (Wirtschaftsauskünfte) Data-driven business information, B2B credit checks, and company information services for informed business decisions, leveraging unique data from Coface's credit insurance operations.
• Single Risk Insurance (Einzelrisiken) Insurance protection against political risk and payment default for complex, long-term projects with customized and non-cancellable coverage, tailored for large investment goods and international project finance.
• Debt Collection (Inkasso) Commercial debt collection services that recover outstanding receivables quickly, including debt collection management and back-up servicing capabilities.
• Surety Bonds and Guarantees (Bürgschaften) Secures contracts and fulfills legal obligations through contract bonds (Vertragsbürgschaften), tax and customs bonds (Steuer- und Zollbürgschaften), and payment bonds (Zahlungsbürgschaften).
• Factoring Generates financial flexibility through receivables sale, including full-service factoring, in-house factoring, reverse factoring, and maturity factoring to convert receivables into liquidity.
• Alyx – Digital Credit Management Platform All-in-one digital platform for credit management that automates daily credit management tasks, integrates credit insurance, business information, debt collection, customer orders, and accounting data with real-time portfolio insights and notifications.
• Urba360 Business Information Platform Business information platform providing comprehensive company information, B2B credit checks, and integrated compliance screening through LSEG Risk Intelligence's World-Check One solution.
• CofaNet Essentials Online customer portal for managing contracts, accessing policy documents, and handling credit insurance operations online.
• CofaBond (Surety Portal) Online tool for managing bond contracts and guarantee documentation.
• Debt Collection Extranet Extranet for managing all data related to debt collection contracts.
• Broker Portal Online platform for insurance brokers to submit new business, manage client portfolios, and access Coface tools and resources.
• Country & Sector Risk Handbook 2026 Annual publication providing detailed analyses of 160 countries with macroeconomic data, sector-specific risk assessments for 13 industries, and political impact evaluations for international business decisions.
• Country & Industry Risk Dashboard (Länder- und Branchen-Risiko Dashboard) Comprehensive online risk dashboard with detailed risk assessments for 160 countries and 13 industries, providing country and sector risk evaluations for market entry and trading partner analysis.
• Coface Lloyd's Syndicate 2546 Syndicate at Lloyd's for short-term trade credit insurance, managed by Apollo Syndicate Management, offering AA-rated credit insurance solutions to targeted market segments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Coface insures €725 billion in receivables, protecting 100,000 companies globally
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LSEG Risk IntelligencecoreTechnology or Integration · 6 January 2026Coface announced a strategic partnership with LSEG Risk Intelligence to integrate World-Check One compliance screening into the Business Information platform Urba360. The collaboration enables companies to combine world-leading compliance tools with Coface's credit risk data in a single interface, enhancing due diligence and compliance screening for business information users.
• Apollo Syndicate Management (Apollo)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 July 2025Coface has received 'in-principle approval' from Lloyd's to establish 'Coface Lloyd's Syndicate, 2546' for short-term trade credit insurance. The syndicate will be managed by Apollo Syndicate Management. This enables Coface to offer AA-rated credit insurance solutions targeting specific market segments, with significant profitable growth potential at Lloyd's. The syndicate is expected to commence operations in 2025.
• Gallagher ReminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 16 July 2025Gallagher Re, a global reinsurance broker and advisory firm, provided comprehensive support and consulting to Coface throughout the Lloyd's syndicate establishment process.
• fischerAppelt (relations)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 April 2025Coface partnered with content marketing and PR agency fischerAppelt (relations) to develop and execute the brand repositioning campaign 'Without data. No action! / Ohne Daten. Keine Taten!'. The agency provides creative and strategic support for the campaign, including new ad formats, creative campaign ideas, and visual identity work across multiple channels.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Euler Hermes (Allianz Trade): World's largest trade credit insurer, subsidiary of Allianz. Directly competes with Coface in credit insurance underwriting across Europe and globally; closest functional and strategic peer.
• Dun & Bradstreet: Global provider of business information and credit reports on millions of companies. Directly competes with Coface's Urba360 Business Information Services arm in B2B credit data and decisioning.
• Atradius: Second-largest global trade credit insurer, owned by Grupo Catalana Occidente. Directly competes with Coface across SME, mid-market, and multinational credit insurance segments.
• CRIF: Italian-headquartered credit information and business analytics provider offering company credit reports across Europe. Comparable to Coface's Business Information Services and competes in SME credit decisioning.

Emerging players

• Tinubu Square: Software vendor specializing in credit insurance software and digital portals for credit insurers and brokers. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but increasingly competes for digital workflow budget within credit insurers' client base.
• Creditsafe: Digital-first business credit reporting provider with global coverage. Competes with Coface Urba360 on speed, UX, and SME segment where Coface's broker-led model is weaker.

Broad incumbents

• Zurich Insurance Group: Global multi-line insurer offering trade credit and surety bonds within a broader commercial insurance portfolio. Overlaps with Coface in credit/surety but does not specialize in the niche.
• Liberty Mutual Insurance: Global P&C insurer offering trade credit and surety products alongside broader commercial lines. Competes with Coface on multinational credit insurance but as part of a much larger diversified portfolio.
• AIG (American International Group): Large global insurer with trade credit and political risk capabilities within its commercial lines portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent rather than a pure-play specialist.

Regional players

• Graydon: UK- and Europe-focused business credit information provider. Overlaps with Coface's business information offering but primarily serves UK/European SMEs rather than a global franchise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coface
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cofaceindeutschland1365
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coface
• Facebookfacebook.com/cofacenl

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Coface