What's new

COVID-19, a catalyst for political risks

In addition to our Q3 2020 Country & Sector Risk updates, Coface's Political Risk Index highlights a dual trend: a decrease in the risk of conflict at a global level, but an increase in the risk of political and social fragility.

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German companies have switched to “crisis-mode” and offer less payment terms

German companies want to cash in as early as possible, according to the fourth edition of Coface’s survey on corporate payment experience in Germany, conducted in July and early-August 2020, with 753 participating companies located in Germany.

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Coface reports a positive net income of €11.3m for the second quarter 2020 and continues to implement its strategic plan

Turnover for the first semester: €725m, down 0.6% at constant FX and perimeter:
Client retention and new business achieve record levels, with a positive net production of €33m.
First effects of re-pricing are now visible (+0.2%).
Revenues from services progress by 7%, including information services up by 13%.
Client activities continue to slowdown – a trend expected to continue over the following quarters.

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Post-pandemic production relocation: an opportunity for CEE countries?

Foreign trade and inclusion in supply chains had already increased in recent years, supported by EU membership by most CEE (Central and Eastern European) countries in 2004.

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Global Transport: What does the future hold beyond COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a mobility crisis, mainly because of physical distancing requirements and the necessity to avoid confined spaces, to limit the virus’propagation. This has had a disastrous impact on the global transport sector, with air passenger transport being the most affected segment.

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United States: Two-speed business bankruptcies

As the COVID-19 epidemic hits the United States very hard, Coface forecasts in its baseline scenario that the country's GDP will contract by 5.6% in 2020, before rebounding by 3.3% in 2021. Nevertheless, this forecast is threatened by the resurgence of the outbreak in several states, which are already pausing or even reversing the resumption of activity after the extensive lockdown of April.

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Coface finalises the acquisition of GIEK Kredittforsikring AS

Coface announces the closing of the acquisition of GIEK Kredittforsikring AS, a company that manages a short-term export credit insurance portfolio.

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Asia Corporate Payment Survey 2020: COVID-19 will overturn last year’s incipient recovery

After a 2019 that was dominated by trade tensions between the United States and China, Coface has observed an incipent recovery in Asia (excluding China), supported by supply chain shifts and additional liquidity from the US Federal Reserve.

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Are corporate balance sheets in Spain and Italy ready for the COVID-19 shock?

Although the second quarter of 2020 is shaping up to be the most challenging period of the year, there are now good reasons to think that the road to recovery will be long and arduous. Despite immediate tax deferrals, liquidity guarantees, it is likely that many firms will find themselves in difficulty.

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Coface announces new appointment of Country Manager of Coface Japan

Coface announces today the appointment of Shinkichi Hayashi as Japan Country Manager effective 1 June 2020. Shinkichi will replace Tetsuya Komatsu, who has decided to leave Coface for personal reasons. We would like to sincerely thank Tetsuya for his contributions.

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Business insolvencies in Europe: amendments to legal procedures temporarily postpone due dates

Many European countries have temporarily amended the legal framework of default procedures to help companies deal with the crisis, postponing growth of insolvencies in Europe.

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Coface Barometer: From a massive shock to a diversified recovery

Coface forecasts that the recession in 2020 (a 4.4% drop in world GDP) will be stronger than that of 2009. Despite the recovery expected in 2021 (+5.1%) – assuming there is no second wave of the coronavirus pandemic – GDP would remain 2 to 5 points lower in the United States, the eurozone, Japan, and the United Kingdom, when compared to 2019 levels.

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China Payment Survey 2020: Payment delays will increase further because of COVID-19

In the context of weaker activity in China due to the health crisis, Coface’s latest survey on business payments in China shows a deterioration in payment behaviour in 2019. 66% of surveyed companies reported payment delays. The length of payment delays remained stable at 86 days in 2019. Nevertheless, sectors that have been hit the most by lockdown measures will have to delay payments in order to survive in 2020 and the number of corporate insolvencies should increase (...)

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World Trade: despite a sudden interruption, global value chains still have a bright future

Early 2020 marked by a sudden interruption in world trade, hampered by a global recession and soaring uncertainty

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COVID-19 swings the spotlight back onto emerging countries’ debt

While the focus has mainly been on China, Europe and the USA so far, the consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic are likely to be even more severe in emerging countries.

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First quarter shows solid operational performance but is impacted by the initial effects of the COVID-19 crisis

Xavier Durand, Coface CEO, commented: “The coronavirus crisis presents an unprecedented shock for our economies and for the credit insurance industry. First and foremost, I am very proud of our teams’ successful efforts to continue supporting our customers despite the containment measures (...)"

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Can China shield its economy from the impact of COVID-19?

Due to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on the global economy, it is unlikely that China will be able to achieve its 2020 growth target. Coface forecasts a growth rate of 4% for the Chinese economy in 2020.

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Coface Barometer: COVID-19 - heading towards a sudden global surge in business insolvencies

At first, the COVID-19 epidemic in China only affected a limited number of value chains – but it has since turned into a global pandemic. Its repercussions have created a double shock – supply and demand – that is affecting a large number of industries in all over the world.

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Fitch places Coface on Rating Watch Negative

The rating agency Fitch has, on 31 March 2020 placed Coface on Rating Watch Negative. This includes Coface’s Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating.

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Review of the credit insurance sector by Moody's

The rating agency Moody's confirmed Coface’s Insurance Financial Strength (IFS) A2 rating on 27 March 2020. The outlook for this rating has been changed to negative.

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