Compagnie Française d'Assurance pour le Commerce Extérieur

Coface is a credit insurer operating globally, offering companies solutions to protect them against the risk of financial default of their clients, both in their domestic and export market. In complement to credit insurance, Coface also offers debt collection services, factoring and business information, as well as bonds.Created in 1946, Coface was listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange in 2014. 4,600 staff in 66 countries provide a local service worldwide. Each quarter, Coface publishes its assessments of country risk for 160 countries, based on its knowledge of companies’ payment behaviour and on the expertise of its underwriters.HistoryCoface was founded in 1946 as the French specialist export credit insurance company.During the 1990s, Coface developed internationally through internal and external growth, by acquiring credit insurance companies and by creating new subsidiaries or branches. External acquisitions included La Viscontea in 1992 (Italian safety and credit insurance company), London Bridge Finance in 1993 (UK financial company providing credit insurance services), Allgemeine Kredit in 1996 (German company providing domestic and export credit insurance solutions) and Osterreichische Kreditversicherung in 1997 (Austrian credit insurer) along with the acquisition of the Continental portfolio in the USA in 2002. The Group's international development also involved the creation of the Coface Partner network in 1992, which enabled it to conclude partnerships with general insurance groups and banks, notably in emerging markets.The company was privatized in 1994.In 2002, Natixis became the majority shareholder of Coface.In 2006, Coface became a fully owned subsidiary of Natixis (which is itself a subsidiary of Groupe BPCE), comprising corporate and investment banking, asset management and financial services activities.