What International Factoring Association does

The International Factoring Association (IFA) is a private trade association founded in 1999 and headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, that operates as the principal professional body for the global accounts receivable finance and factoring industry. The IFA serves factoring companies, bank-owned factors, allied vendors, and individual professionals, organizing its offering around four pillars: education and certification (Factoring 101 content, online courses, IFA Certification, and the Factoring Industry Survey), networking and events (Annual Factoring Conference, chapter events, hybrid training classes, and the Virtual Tech Expo Webinar Series), member resources (Member Directory, Ally Member directory, Find a Factor matching service, and a free Job Board), and advocacy/standards (IFA Code of Ethics and an Advisory Board). Sub-brands include the Commercial Factor magazine (reaching 8,000+ factoring professionals online and via a weekly e-magazine), the NEXGEN program for emerging leaders, and IFA LINK, the PathLMS-hosted learning platform.

IFA's commercial model is a hybrid trade-association revenue stack. Recurring annual membership dues from factoring companies, finance organizations, and allied professionals anchor the base, supplemented by advertising and sponsorship in Commercial Factor magazine, the weekly e-newsletter, and the website, plus paid registrations for conferences, webinars, hybrid training classes, and certification programs. A freemium layer supports member acquisition through free job board postings for IFA and Ally members. Distribution is direct via the factoring.org website and member community, with events providing in-person touchpoints; corporate sponsors (Change Capital, AtoB, Haversine Funding, Triumph, Tax Guard, XEN) are featured prominently on the homepage, and the association holds membership in ASAE and ICCA. Technology is non-proprietary: IFA runs on Naylor Association Management Software for site and membership operations and outsources course delivery to PathLMS for IFA LINK.

Name

International Factoring Association

Legal name

International Factoring Association

Website

https://factoring.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Factoring Association is a global trade association serving factoring companies, bank-owned factors, and allied professionals with membership, education, certification, networking events, the Commercial Factor magazine, and industry advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB), Assessment, Certification & Qualifications Frameworks (BPADAKAL)

Keywords

• Accounts receivable finance
• Factoring association
• Trade association services
• Industry certification programs
• Professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Avila Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: IFA generates revenue through annual membership fees from factoring companies, finance organizations, and allied professional members. Membership provides access to member resources, directory listings, job boards, and educational content.
2. Advertising and Sponsorship: The Commercial Factor magazine and weekly e-newsletter generate advertising revenue from factoring companies, financial service providers, and industry vendors. The website and various digital channels offer advertising placement opportunities.
3. Job Board Postings: Free job board postings for IFA members and Ally Members, providing a platform for recruiting within the factoring industry.
4. Event Registration and Training: Revenue from annual conferences, hybrid training classes, webinar series, and online certification programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The International Factoring Association (IFA) is a global trade association serving the accounts receivable finance and factoring industry. It operates as a membership organization delivering education, certification, networking events, industry publications (Commercial Factor magazine), training programs (IFA LINK on PathLMS), a member directory, a job board, the Find a Factor matching service, and the NEXGEN emerging-leaders program to factoring companies, bank-owned factors, and allied professionals worldwide.

Product overview

The International Factoring Association (IFA) is a professional association serving the global accounts receivable finance and factoring industry. Rather than a unified software platform, IFA operates as a member-based organization offering a portfolio of services including Commercial Factor Magazine (the official industry publication reaching 8,000+ professionals), IFA Events and Training (conferences, webinars, certification, and the PathLMS-based IFA LINK learning platform), Member and Ally Member directories, a Job Board for industry employment, the Find a Factor matching service, and the NEXGEN program for emerging industry leaders. These services support networking, education, and business development for factoring professionals worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Commercial Factor Magazine: Official publication of the International Factoring Association reaching more than 8,000 factoring professionals via online and digital editions. Provides timely content on tech trends, legal issues, industry hot topics and spotlights on factoring companies/professionals.
• NEXGEN
• IFA LINK

Products and services

• Commercial Factor Magazine

Named customers2 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

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Change CapitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of the IFA, appearing in the sponsors section of the website.
• AtoBminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of the IFA, appearing in the sponsors section of the website. AtoB provides fuel cards and financial services for transportation companies.
• Haversine FundingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of the IFA, appearing in the sponsors section. Haversine Funding provides lender finance and factoring services.
• TriumphminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of the IFA, appearing in the sponsors section. Triumph is a factoring and financial services company.
• Tax GuardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of the IFA, appearing in the sponsors section. Tax Guard provides tax-related financial services.
• XENminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of the IFA, appearing in the sponsors section. XEN provides factoring and financial technology platforms.
• American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)minorOthersIFA is a member of ASAE, demonstrating alignment with broader association management industry standards.
• International Commercial Finance Association (ICCA)minorOthersIFA is a member of ICCA, connecting with other commercial finance associations globally.
• PathLMScoreTechnology or IntegrationIFA uses PathLMS as its online learning management system for delivering training courses, webinars, and educational content to members. IFA LINK provides access to online training through this platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Association for Financial Professionals (AFP): AFP is a large US-based association for treasury and finance professionals. It is comparable to IFA as a membership association offering certification (CTP), conferences, and publications, though it serves a much broader finance audience.
• Risk Management Association (RMA): RMA is a US-based membership association serving commercial and community bank lending, credit, and risk professionals. It is comparable to IFA as a financial-services trade association offering member education, conferences, and industry standards.
• Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA): ELFA is the leading US trade association for the equipment finance industry, including capital goods and asset-based lending. It is comparable to IFA as a peer trade association in adjacent commercial finance, with overlapping education, certification, and conference offerings.
• National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA): NEFA is a US-based trade association for the equipment finance industry. Comparable to IFA as a small, member-driven association offering conferences, education, and a community platform for a niche commercial finance vertical.

Direct peers

• International Factors Group (IFG): IFG is a global network of independent factoring companies. While more of a commercial network than an association, it serves a similar professional community of factors and overlaps with IFA's membership and conference audiences.
• Secured Finance Network (formerly Commercial Finance Association): Secured Finance Network is the premier US trade association for the asset-based lending and factoring industries. It competes with IFA for US factoring members, sponsorships, and educational programming, including the annual SFNet conference.
• Factors Chain International (FCI): FCI is a global factoring network connecting factors in over 90 countries and operates the widely-used EDIFACTOR messaging system. It is the most direct peer to IFA in the global factoring association space, with analogous membership, education, and conferences.
• Commercial Finance Coalition: Commercial Finance Coalition is a US trade group advocating for the asset-based lending and factoring industry. As a direct peer in the factoring advocacy space, it competes with IFA for influence and member engagement in Washington and state-level policy issues.

Regional players

• National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB): NACFB is a UK-based trade association for commercial finance brokers. While regionally focused, it serves a comparable role to IFA as a membership body for the commercial finance intermediary ecosystem, including invoice finance and factoring.
• European Factoring Association (EFA): EFA is the regional industry association for factoring across Europe. It is a regional peer to IFA in the same niche, with overlapping members in international markets and competing for European factoring company memberships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/factoring-association
• Xx.com/factoringassoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 International Factoring Association