Berne Union

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.

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

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

• Export credit insurance
• Investment insurance association
• Trade credit insurance
• Political risk insurance
• Industry association services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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

Core 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

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026Berne 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 BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025The 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerne 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 CommonsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerne 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBU 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration 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

Broad 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

• Xx.com/berneunion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berne-union

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Berne Union