Berne Union
Berne Union is the London-based, 1934-founded global non-profit association for the export credit and investment insurance industry, uniting government-backed export credit agencies, multilateral institutions, and private credit insurers that collectively provide roughly USD 2.5 trillion in annual payment risk protection.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1934
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Berne Union does
Berne Union, legally the International Association of Export Credit and Investment Insurers, is a London-headquartered non-profit membership association founded in 1934 and the leading global body for the export credit and investment insurance industry. Its members comprise three categories: government-backed official export credit agencies (ECAs), multilateral financial institutions, and private credit insurers. Collectively, members provide approximately USD 2.5 trillion in annual payment risk protection to banks, exporters, and investors, equivalent to 13% of world cross-border trade for goods and services (calculated against WTO statistics).
The organization's product surface is a portfolio of research publications, events, and member services rather than a commercial technology product. Flagship outputs include the State of the Industry Report, the Berne Union Yearbook, the Business Confidence Index (co-produced with ICISA), the BUlletin quarterly newsletter, and a glossary of trade and export credit insurance terminology. Member-facing infrastructure comprises a web platform (berneunion.org) with member directory, event registration, and direct messaging; the Capacity Sharing Marketplace for knowledge exchange; and working groups including the Climate Group and Young Professionals Initiative. The organization does not operate a software product, API, or SDK.
Berne Union's revenue model is annual membership dues from organizational members, supplemented by event-driven activities. Distribution is direct-to-enterprise via a global Secretariat in London and rotating AGM and Spring Meetings held across international cities (Tokyo, Helsinki, London, and Astana in 2026). The association is governed by its members, with a President (currently Yuichiro Akita, elected at the 2024 Hamburg AGM) and a small Secretariat staff of 11-50.
Berne Union firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Berne Union
- Legal name
- International Association of Export Credit and Investment Insurers
- Website
- https://berneunion.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1934
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Berne Union is the London-based, 1934-founded global non-profit association for the export credit and investment insurance industry, uniting government-backed export credit agencies, multilateral institutions, and private credit insurers that collectively provide roughly USD 2.5 trillion in annual payment risk protection.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Berne Union industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Credit Insurance Association
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) & Trade Finance Institutions (BPADACAF)
Keywords
Where Berne Union is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Berne Union business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Berne Union operates as a membership-based association with official export credit agencies, multilateral financial institutions, and private credit insurers as members. Revenue is generated through annual membership fees from its global member organizations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Berne Union product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Berne Union is a London-based nonprofit membership association founded in 1934 that serves the global export credit and investment insurance industry. Its members include government-backed official export credit agencies, multilateral financial institutions, and private credit insurers. The association delivers value through annual publications (State of the Industry Report, Yearbook, Business Confidence Index, BUlletin newsletter), industry meetings (AGMs and Spring Meetings), collaborative initiatives (Climate Group, Blended Finance Hackathon, Young Professionals Initiative), and data aggregation on cross-border trade risk protection.
Product overview
Berne Union is a global industry association for export credit and investment insurance, offering a unified membership platform rather than a commercial product. Its service portfolio centers on industry research publications (State of the Industry Report, Yearbook, Business Confidence Index, Industry Trends Report), regular newsletters (The BUlletin), and communications (Press Releases). Supporting services include a member directory, the Capacity Sharing Marketplace platform, and professional development initiatives (Young Professionals Initiative, Climate Group). The organization also facilitates industry dialogue through AGMs, Spring Meetings, and the Blended Finance Hackathon.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Berne Union Membership Membership program for government-backed official export credit agencies, multilateral financial institutions, and private credit insurers, providing access to industry coordination, data sharing, publications, networking events, and collaborative initiatives.
- State of the Industry Report Annual flagship publication providing data and analysis on structural shifts in the delivery of trade and investment support, drawing on member-supplied business data across the export credit and investment insurance industry.
- Berne Union Yearbook Flagship annual publication featuring video commentary and key insights from industry leaders, providing a comprehensive overview of the export credit and investment insurance industry.
- Business Confidence Index Quarterly publication developed in collaboration with ICISA, tracking market sentiment and expectations for export credit and political risk insurance demand.
- The BUlletin Newsletter Quarterly newsletter providing strategic priorities, industry coordination updates, and risk analysis to subscribers and members.
- Industry Trends Report Annual analysis of industry trends affecting export credit and investment insurance markets.
- Glossary of Industry Terms Comprehensive glossary of trade/export finance and export credit and political risk insurance terminology, compiled from multiple original sources and made available to industry participants.
- Capacity Sharing Marketplace Online platform facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity building among Berne Union members across the export credit and investment insurance industry.
- Berne Union Meetings Regular meetings including Annual General Meetings (AGMs) and Spring Meetings that bring together members to discuss industry developments, data, and strategic priorities.
- Press Releases Archive of official press releases covering AGMs, Spring Meetings, member announcements, and industry developments.
- Berne Union Web Platform Online membership platform providing access to publications, member directory, event registration, and direct messaging capabilities for Berne Union members.
Quantifiable outcome
- USD 2.5 trillion in annual payment risk protection
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Berne Union
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Berne Union technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Berne Union partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)coreBerne Union and UNDP partnered to strengthen sustainable trade and investment for the SDGs. The partnership enhances the role of export credit agencies (ECAs) and investment insurers in mobilizing private capital toward national development priorities.
- African Development BankcoreThe African Development Bank and credit protection providers are advancing their partnership as announced during the 4th Insurer & ECA Day. The partnership focuses on advancing collaboration between the African Development Bank and credit protection providers.
- ICISA (International Credit Insurance & Surety Association)coreBerne Union collaborates with ICISA on the Business Confidence Index, an expanded edition that captures a more comprehensive picture of the export credit and PRI market. The partnership produces bi-annual industry confidence reports.
- Finance in CommonsecondaryBerne Union launched a joint initiative with Finance in Common, a coalition of Public Development Banks, to advance common goals in development finance and sustainable investment.
- Development Finance Institutions (DFIs)coreBU Blended Finance Hackathon brings together BU members, DFIs, multilateral development banks (MDBs), and the wider finance community to work on risk-sharing solutions and private capital mobilization for SDGs.
- Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs)coreCollaboration with MDBs through Blended Finance Hackathon to address risk sharing and develop solutions for scaling blended finance instruments.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Berne Union competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- International Chamber of Commerce (ICC): ICC is a broad incumbent global business organization setting rules for trade finance (URDG, Incoterms, DOCDEX) that directly overlap with the export credit/trade finance ecosystem Berne Union's members operate in.
- Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA): GFMA represents wholesale financial market participants across global capital markets, comparable as a trade association convening banks, insurers, and securities firms on cross-border risk, an adjacency to BU's ECA/private-credit-insurer constituency.
- Institute of International Finance (IIF): IIF is a global association of financial institutions that publishes influential capital-flows and risk data, comparable in membership-driven research and policy advocacy model to BU but focused on broader cross-border finance.
- Lloyd's Market Association (LMA): LMA represents Lloyd's managing agents and is a leading insurance trade association coordinating market standards, comparable to BU as a membership body setting conventions for cross-border specialty/political-risk insurance.
- International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS): IAIS sets global insurance supervision standards and engages ECAs/multilateral insurers on prudential frameworks; it is comparable to BU as an international coordination body whose remit extends to credit and political-risk insurance markets.
Emerging players
- Finance in Common (FiCS): FiCS is a coalition of Public Development Banks working on SDG-aligned blended finance; BU has a joint initiative with FiCS, and it is comparable as a newer, peer association targeting multilateral/development finance institutions in spaces BU is expanding into.
Others
- International Trade Centre (ITC): ITC is a joint UN/WTO agency supporting SMEs in international trade; it is adjacent to BU as a multilateral partner publishing data and convening stakeholders across the same cross-border trade risk-mitigation ecosystem.
Direct peers
- International Credit Insurance & Surety Association (ICISA): ICISA is the trade body for private credit insurers and surety providers; it co-produces the Business Confidence Index with Berne Union and represents the private-credit-insurer segment of the same market BU's ECA/multilateral members serve, making it the most directly comparable peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Berne Union social profiles
Digital presenceBerne Union financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Berne Union leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Berne Union funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Berne Union M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Berne Union
What does Berne Union do?
Berne Union is a London-based nonprofit membership association founded in 1934 that serves the global export credit and investment insurance industry. Its members include government-backed official export credit agencies, multilateral financial institutions, and private credit insurers. The association delivers value through annual publications (State of the Industry Report, Yearbook, Business Confidence Index, BUlletin newsletter), industry meetings (AGMs and Spring Meetings), collaborative initiatives (Climate Group, Blended Finance Hackathon, Young Professionals Initiative), and data aggregation on cross-border trade risk protection.
Is Berne Union a public or private company?
Berne Union is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Berne Union founded?
Berne Union was founded in 1934. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Berne Union based?
Berne Union is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Berne Union make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Dues.
Who are Berne Union's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA), Institute of International Finance (IIF), Lloyd's Market Association (LMA) and International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS). Finance in Common (FiCS) is listed as an emerging player. International Trade Centre (ITC) is listed as an others. International Credit Insurance & Surety Association (ICISA) is listed as a direct peer.
Does Berne Union have an API?
No public API is recorded for Berne Union.
What industry is Berne Union in?
Berne Union's product category is Trade Credit Insurance Association. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADACAF, Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) & Trade Finance Institutions. Its NAICS code is 813920 and its SIC code is 6111.