In a constantly changing environment, anticipating commercial risks is a strategic lever for securing your business and supporting your growth. However, many companies are still compelled to operate with different tools, without any overall vision, limiting their ability to act quickly. What if trade credit insurance and automated solutions allowed you to reinvent your trade receivables management right now?
Risk outlook: what sales and finance teams need to closely monitor
Between longer payment terms, more frequent delays and an increase in business bankruptcies, vigilance remains essential for companies this year. 2025 saw business insolvencies stabilise at a record high, exceeding pre-Covid levels, with marked sectoral contrasts. Overall, they rose by 4% (compared to 2024) according to the global index of advanced economies. The largest increases in bankruptcies are in Asia-Pacific (+12%) and Europe (+11%).
This deterioration automatically weighs on the cash flow of all companies, regardless of their size or sector of activity, even though SMEs and micro-enterprises remain both the most exposed to the risk of non-payment and the most vulnerable to the financial shock that this can have on their cash flow.
In this context, manufacturing is currently the sector of greatest concern in Europe:
- manufacturing output is below pre-crisis levels, particularly in Germany;
- the automotive industryremains in difficulty, with volumes well below pre-crisis levels and a complex transition to electric vehicles to be completed by 2035;
- constructioncontinues to suffer from still too weak demand, with no real hope of a significant rebound before the end of 2026 or even early 2027;
- metals, which are heavily dependent on the dynamics of the automotive and construction industries, are in decline despite a slight improvement in margins for players in the sector.
The automotive and construction industries are driving their entire ecosystem of sub-sectors, including metals. Only the aerospace industry is an exception, thanks to its full order books. But it faces the huge challenge of ramping up production to demonstrate its ability to meet this strong demand.
Abou Dembélé, Head of Risk Underwriting at Coface France
Equip yourself with a comprehensive solution to secure your sales and ease your cash flow
Despite the prospect of a respite in 2026, thanks in particular to easier access to credit and lower key interest rates, the current dynamic highlights the vulnerability of companies, which are faced with costs that have become too high and extremely volatile demand. This is especially true in B2B trade environment, where granting payment terms is equivalent to financing your customer: it is an effective commercial lever, but a highly risky one.
For finance and sales departments responsible for customer risk, the equation is clear:
- monitor exposed sectors;
- carefully calibrate credit terms (end of month, 45 days, 60 days);
- anticipate possible "domino effects" on certain suppliers;
- equip themselves with commercial risk management solutions to make quick and accurate decisions.
Trade credit insurance is a comprehensive protection mechanism against unpaid debts, based on three complementary pillars: prevention, through analysis and continuous monitoring of customer solvency; collection, through structured management of reminders and formal notices for late payments; and compensation in the event of a claim, up to 90% of the guaranteed debt. Ultimately, you can be sure of getting paid.
Sophie Mayer, Sales Director, North & East Regions at Coface France.
Beyond providing a safety net, trade credit insurance protects the entire chain of risks associated with unpaid debts. It preserves your margins and strengthens your company's credibility with banking stakeholders (bankers and factors).
The result: easier access to financing for your company and a drastic reduction in expected credit losses. This is a vital issue in the current environment, where almost all companies report late payments and a quarter of insolvencies are directly related to unpaid debts. Effective management of your accounts receivable is therefore no longer optional.
Trade receivables: how to automate and improve performance
However, many companies continue to manage their clients accounts using fragmented tools, without a consolidated view. This results in a considerable loss of time but also carries the risk of making commercial decisions that are sometimes disconnected from reality on the ground. How can you simplify the day-to-day management of your trade credit insurance contract and optimise the management of your client portfolio in the medium term?
In this era of next-generation tools, particularly connectivity solutions, commercial risk management is undergoing a paradigm shift: gone are the days of blind management, replaced by proactive, real-time management that is more intuitive and collaborative. The result: savings in time, productivity and performance! And a radical change in approach thanks to a tenfold increase in your ability to anticipate both threats and opportunities for growing your business.
The strength of these types of tools lies in their connectivity and their ability to interface with all the tools in the company's digital ecosystem. Automated solutions such as Alyx are now the showcase for the digital transformation of credit management. This type of platform now allows commercial risk management data and processes (trade credit insurance, Business Information services, etc.) to be seamlessly integrated directly into companies' existing information systems (ERP, CRM) and financial management platforms.
Alyx is a true digital assistant designed by Coface. It is an intelligent solution that connects all your financial management and accounting tools (ERP) with your credit insurance policies to centralise the following in one place:
- credit limits;
- outstanding amounts
- contractual due dates
- late payments
- risk scores (customers, suppliers)
- credit decision history
Alyx provides a very clear overview by customer and by invoice: it is much easier to track payment deadlines, trigger the declaration of an unpaid invoice at the right time, and adjust coverage if the situation requires it.
Stéphane Martineau, Customer Success Manager at Alyx.
Alyx is a multi-user solution that strengthens collaboration between sales, finance and sales administration teams. On the operational side, follow-up time is reduced:
- intelligent dashboards for reporting,
- reporting of unpaid invoices in just a few clicks,
- customised usage threshold alerts (e.g. 80%),
- dynamic lists (uninsured, inactive, late customers).
- prioritisation of actions
For credit managers and CFOs, connectivity generates unprecedented operational fluidity and a major performance lever. Users are finally able to identify emerging trends, spot weak signals and adjust their strategy well before problems materialise. This continuity between analysis and action eliminates the friction that traditionally slowed down credit risk management processes. Consolidated data becomes clear, directly usable and easily actionable information that accelerates decision-making at all levels of the organisation.
Next-generation connectivity solutions such as Alyx are becoming the essential gateway between different entities and stakeholders within the company: the credit manager, the financial director, the board of directors and even the sales teams. Analyses can be easily shared with management, teams are mobilised around common indicators, and the time spent reprocessing data is significantly reduced.
The information comes to you: Alyx notifies you when a buyer reaches a potentially risky situation. Alyx also automatically calculates upcoming deadlines and delivers the information to you in a single click. This automated management increases your productivity and operational performance, but you always remain in control of decisions.
Alice Galy, Alyx Innovation Manager at Coface.
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Check with our experts if Alyx is available in your country, and ask for a demo tailored to your environment.
