How can you distinguish between a temporary disruption and a risk expected to impact the entire value chain? In an environment marked by sustained volatility, companies need to detect risks earlier and better anticipate how they will spread. For CFOs, the challenge lies in identifying weak signals, mapping dependencies and transforming information into swift, informed decisions. Coface’s experts decode the levers for moving from reactive trade risk management to a more proactive and strategic approach.
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Expert advice
Debt recovery in Europe: 5 tips to avoid the pitfalls, country by country
Geographical proximity, the single market, long-standing trading partners… Recovering a debt in Europe may seem straightforward. However, over 70 per cent of businesses face late payments, and debt recovery practices vary significantly from one country to another. Because an unpaid debt is not handled in the same way in London, Milan, Madrid, Brussels, Zurich or Warsaw, Coface’s experts share their advice on how to avoid the most common mistakes, adapt your approach to the local context and maximize your chances of recovery.
3 keys to speed up your decision-making and drive your growth
Geopolitical tensions, slowing growth, supply chain disruptions, and mounting regulatory risks: businesses today operate in a world where uncertainty has become the norm. The question, therefore, is no longer how to eliminate risk — that is neither realistic nor desirable — but how to make the best possible decisions in a constantly changing environment.
Coface survey: In the face of uncertainty, making quick decisions is once again becoming a critical issue for businesses
The main obstacle to business growth is no longer just the market, but also companies’ ability to make decisions. According to the latest Coface survey of 1,250 business leaders in 13 countries, 68% of them cite slow decision-making as a major obstacle. In a highly uncertain environment, businesses are no longer simply seeking to avoid risk: they must learn to make decisions more quickly. A transformation is underway, gradually turning risk into a driver of decision-making and growth.
From data to cash: detect early, decide quickly, collect better with Urba360 and My DSO Manager
With growing insolvencies and payment delays under pressure, accounts receivable management can no longer be driven by looking in the rear-view mirror. By combining robust risk data with agile operational governance, you can turn early warning signs into operational decisions to speed up your cash flow.
Risk Dashboard
Navigate uncertainty with Coface's global risk assessments for 160 countries and 13 sectors.
Compliance and reputation: 6 steps to control risks and monitor your partners
Sanctions, financial losses, reputational damage to your company: compliance is no longer just a regulatory formality, it’s a concrete business risk that needs to be closely monitored. Strategies, early warning signals, common mistakes: our experts share their solutions to strengthen your day-to-day monitoring of your clients and suppliers, make your decisions more reliable and secure your business.
Cash culture: 3 levers to better manage Cash collection and sustainably reduce client risk
You've just finished the final sprint of the annual closing without having managed to secure your accounts receivable? The end-of-year cash rush often reveals the same weakness: sales are registered, but unpaid bills pile up and cash flow is fragile. Because successful debt collection no longer relies solely on finance teams, discover how to mobilise your entire company and rely on tailored solutions to speed up your cash inflows and preserve your business relationships.
Protect your business from compliance risks
Before signing with a new supplier or customer, you check their financial health. But do you know if this partner is linked to sanctioned individuals or high-risk entities? A single problematic business relationship can be costly, in terms of cash flow, fines and reputation.
End-of-year Cash Sprint: 3 winning strategies to speed up your cash inflows and optimise your cash flow
The final sprint to the end of the financial year is coming up fast, and every day counts when it comes to speeding up your cash inflows. With Coface's expert advice and insights from our clients, learn how to target bad debts, master your aging balance, mobilise your teams and leverage digital debt collection solutions to boost your performance and secure your cash flow before December 31.
A new way to manage risk: the era of smart dashboards
With the rise of next-generation dashboards and connectivity solutions, commercial risk management is experiencing a paradigm shift: more intuitive, more responsive and more collaborative. From reporting to governance, discover how to harness the power of dashboards to steer your business with agility, performance and anticipation.
Amicable Debt Collection: the winning strategy for preserving your client relationships
Too often perceived as a conflictual approach or a simple cash flow operation, amicable Debt Collection actually plays an essential role in your client relationships. As long as you adopt an amicable, human and differentiated approach according to your partners' situation. Expert advice, testimonials and useful cases to help you collect your unpaid debts without jeopardising your business relationships.
5 tips to anticipate risks and successfully run your business with Data & AI
AI and data are powerful tools for improving business management, but their adoption remains a huge challenge for executives. Security, ROI, technological integration and digitalisation: our Risk & Smart Data experts help you transform your data into genuine growth drivers and decision-making solutions. Find out all the keys to managing your risks and stay ahead.
Is Your Business Truly Protected Against Bad Debt? Discover Smarter Solutions with Coface
Managing bad debt is a challenge that every business faces. While maintaining a bad debt reserve is a common strategy, it might not provide the comprehensive protection your company needs in today’s unpredictable economic environment. A more proactive approach, such as leveraging trade credit insurance, can safeguard your business from financial instability and enhance your credit risk management strategy.
Information reports: a business management tool and performance lever to grow your company
Essential for anticipating business risks, information reports are also practical tools that support effective business management. Prospecting, sales, marketing, financial audit, securing the supply chain or accelerating your customer knowledge processes (KYC): these decision-making solutions guide you through every stage of your business.
Trade credit insurance: 7 actions to optimise your financial performance
What if trade credit insurance was much more than just a safety net? Beyond protecting your company against unpaid invoices, trade credit insurance can help you increase sales, reduce financing costs and improve your profitability in the long term. Discover how trade credit insurance can become a valuable financial management tool and have a positive impact on your balance sheet and income statement.
Effective Credit Risk Management: Key Practices and Processes for Business Success
Credit risk management is a crucial process for businesses that rely on customer credit, as it helps safeguard against potential financial losses from non-paying clients. Effective credit risk management involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks associated with credit extension, protecting cash flow, and maintaining financial stability. This article covers the fundamentals of credit risk, various types of credit risk, key factors for analyzing it, and the role of trade credit insurance in supporting businesses with effective risk management.
How Can Portfolio Companies Use Trade Credit to Insure Accounts Receivable?
Effective risk management is vital for portfolio companies, especially when it comes to safeguarding cash flow and maintaining a healthy balance sheet. One powerful tool that companies can leverage is trade credit insurance. By insuring accounts receivable, businesses can mitigate trade credit risks while protecting their revenue streams. But how does trade credit insurance work, and how can portfolio companies utilize it effectively?
Successful Debt Collection abroad: the Coface way
A growth accelerator for companies, exporting increases the risk of non-payment and limits your chances of collecting your debts. Leveraging global expertise, local know-how and a powerful worldwide network, Coface's solutions maximise your chances of getting your invoices paid quickly, no matter where in the world, and so limit the impact on your company's financial health.
VSEs-SMEs: 10 tips to regain control of your accounts receivable
Late payments, cash flow issues, and insolvencies: VSEs-SMEs are more exposed and vulnerable to the risk of unpaid invoices and are therefore on the front line when difficulties arise. When order books are shrinking, payment terms are getting longer and cash flow is precarious, it's urgent to regain control of your accounts receivable. Here is our guidance on how to secure your cash flow and strengthen your company's resilience.
Coface warns of rising D&O insolvency exclusions
David Meys, commercial director at Coface New Zealand, recently discussed with ‘Insurance Business’ www.insurancebusinessmag.com how trade credit insurance can mitigate the risk of insolvency events that may lead to 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬 (𝐃&𝐎) liability claims.
Debt collection around the world: how to deal with local specificities
Collecting debts domestically is already tedious enough, but collecting debts abroad quickly turns into an obstacle course. Different business cultures, specific negotiation levers, lengthy and complex procedures, local legal specificities: the challenges are unique and the barriers are many! Our experts help you successfully collect your debts, regardless of where your debtor is located.
The stabilizing power of Trade Credit in emerging markets (podcast)
In the latest episode of Trade Talk, we delve into the critical role of trade credit in stabilizing emerging economies amidst monetary shocks from the US Federal Reserve. Join Mélina London, economist and researcher, on how inter-company credit can be a buffer against financial instability.
VSEs and SMEs: why debt collection is vital for your business
Debt collection is a tricky and often overslept task for companies of all sizes, but it is crucial for VSEs and SMEs. More exposed to risk, they are also much more impacted by non-payment and often do not have sufficient cash or human resources to absorb financial shocks as easily as large organisations.
Structuring data to unlock business agility: Coface's expertise
Data Lake, Data Mesh, Data Warehouse, Datamart... Behind these technical concepts lies a major strategic challenge: transforming data into a performance driver. In the Place aux experts video podcast, Samia Boujatioui, the Group Head of Data Management, explains how well-governed data can create value for our clients and our business teams. Here are some extracts.
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