DF Deutsche Forfait

Name

DF Deutsche Forfait

Legal name

DF Deutsche Forfait AG

Website

https://dfag.de

Company type

Public

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Finance Services

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Structured Trade & Export Credit (ECA-backed, Structured Solutions) (FSABAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) & Trade Finance Institutions (BPADACAF)

Keywords

• Foreign trade finance
• Forfaiting services
• Factoring services
• Trade receivables financing
• Cross-border payment risk

Headquarters

HQ city

Grunewald

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foreign Trade Financing: Core business providing forfaiting, factoring, purchase commitments, collection services, and marketing compliance services for international trade transactions
2. Proprietary Trading: First own trading transaction in the grain sector completed in 2023; diversified into proprietary trading activities
3. M&A Activities: Acquisition and investment activities in food, beverages, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors since 2024

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DF Deutsche Forfait AG is a foreign trade finance specialist providing forfaiting, factoring, binding purchase commitments (Ankaufszusage), receivables collection services, and marketing-compliance services to exporters and importers. Its primary geographic focus is the Near and Middle East, with additional coverage of Eastern Europe and Central Asia across food, pharma, healthcare, industrial, energy and infrastructure sectors.

Product overview

DF Deutsche Forfait AG is a foreign trade finance specialist operating as part of DF Group, which comprises three business segments: Foreign Trade Finance, Proprietary Trading, and M&A. The core Foreign Trade Finance segment offers Factoring, Forfaiting, Purchase Commitments (Ankaufszusage), Collection Services, and Marketing Compliance Services. These are delivered through the company's Cologne headquarters with a Prague branch, targeting markets in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia across the food, pharma, healthcare, industrial, energy, and infrastructure sectors. Since 2024, M&A activities have expanded the portfolio to include proprietary trading (grain sector) and acquisitions in the food/beverage (Vagabund brewery, OBC cider) and pharma/healthcare (Deutsche Blutplasma HP GmbH for blood plasma collection) sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forfaiting Purchase of trade receivables without recourse, allowing exporters to eliminate credit and transfer risks to the forfaiter; primarily used by exporters selling to buyers in the Near/Middle East, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
• Factoring Accounts receivable financing that enables exporters to sell their receivables to improve cash flow; for cross-border exporters with payment-risk exposure.
• Ankaufszusage (Purchase Commitments) Binding purchase commitment for trade finance receivables, giving exporters a guaranteed buyer's credit to support cross-border transactions.
• Inkasso- & Collection Service International trade receivables collection service providing proper documentation and follow-up for outstanding cross-border invoices.
• Marketing-Compliance-Service Compliance advisory service for marketing activities in foreign trade finance transactions, covering US, UK, and EU sanctions requirements.
• Projektfinanzierung (Project Financing) Project financing solutions for infrastructure and renewable energy projects (wind, hydro, photovoltaics, power grids, container ports, roads) in emerging markets.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ruhr-Plasma-Zentrum Bochum GmbH (Insolvent)coreOthers · 30 April 2025Deutsche Blutplasma HP GmbH (subsidiary) signed purchase agreement for assets of insolvent company, entering blood plasma collection market
• Vagabund Craft Beer BrewerycoreOthers · 1 July 2024Acquired insolvent craft beer brewery in Berlin-Wedding as part of M&A diversification strategy
• NUMOV - Nah- und Mittelost-Verein E.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner network organization for Near and Middle East trade relations
• International Trade and Forfaiting AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association for trade and forfaiting professionals
• Ost-Ausschuss der Deutschen WirtschaftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Eastern Business Association for Eastern European trade relations
• OBC Cider BrandminorOthersAcquired well-known Berlin cider brand as part of beverages sector diversification

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AKA Bank GmbH: German export and trade finance bank, formerly Ausfuhrkredit-Gesellschaft, providing structured export credit and forfaiting solutions — the closest direct competitor to DF Deutsche Forfait in the German-speaking market, with overlapping product set and clientele.
• Allianz Trade (formerly Euler Hermes): World's largest trade credit insurer, headquartered in Germany and operating across the same EMEA corridors DF serves. While its core product is insurance rather than forfaiting, it directly competes for risk-mitigation mandates on cross-border receivables.
• Coface SA: French-headquartered global trade credit insurer with strong presence in EMEA emerging markets. Overlaps with DF's payment-risk mitigation value proposition for exporters trading into higher-risk jurisdictions.
• Atradius N.V. Dutch trade credit insurer serving exporters with receivables protection in EMEA, Asia, and the Americas. Competes for the same risk-mitigation mandate on cross-border trade transactions as DF Deutsche Forfait.

Regional players

• First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB): UAE-headquartered bank with one of the largest trade finance books in the Middle East and emerging market corridors. Comparable regional concentration to DF's Middle East focus, though operating from a sovereign-wealth-backed home market.

Broad incumbents

• Standard Chartered plc: Emerging-markets-focused universal bank with a deep trade finance franchise across MENA, Africa, and Asia. Particularly relevant peer given DF's stated Middle East and emerging-market corridor focus.
• Deutsche Bank AG: Germany's largest universal bank with a global trade finance and treasury services franchise, including structured trade and export finance. Represents the incumbent that DF competes against in the German market for larger corporates.
• BNP Paribas SA: French universal bank with a leading global trade finance and supply chain finance offering, including forfaiting capabilities through Trade Finance and Treasury Solutions. Direct overlap with DF's European mid-market export-finance mandate.
• HSBC Holdings plc: Global universal bank with the largest international trade finance franchise, particularly strong in emerging markets and trade corridors across Asia, MENA, and Europe. Operates broadly in the same trade-finance space as DF.
• Commerzbank AG: Major German universal bank with a strong Mittelstand-focused trade finance and forfaiting franchise. Competes head-to-head with DF for mid-cap German exporters trading into EMEA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries8 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 DF Deutsche Forfait