

Country Risks Analysis - Q1 2018
Discover the main trends of the country risks for Q1 2018, with upgrades in Slovenia, Azerbaijan, South Korea, Taiwan and Ukraine, and downgrades in Philippines and Bahrai


Beware of breach of contract
Breach of contract, known under a variety of terms (stop deliveries, terminate coverage …) functions very differently from one company to the next but has the same consequences: lack of knowledge of the rules may lead an insurer to refuse indemnification despite the insured continuing to believe himself still covered and continuing to make deliveries to his client.


AU G-GRADE Q1 2018 Infographic
Discover at a glance the main the main trends in country risks with our new infographic of the AU G-GRADE Q1 2018
All 84

Beware of breach of contract
Breach of contract, known under a variety of terms (stop deliveries,…
17 April 2018/by Francois Fargis
Economic Overview of South Africa
For many entities in South Africa, 2017 was a difficult year,…
3 April 2018/by Luke Joubert
Swiss Economic Situation
The Swiss economy (country rating AA1) is one of the most stable…
20 March 2018/by Luca Caretti
Voidable Preferences and Insolvency – The Hidden Risk
Insolvency – growing risk despite falling numbers
21,879 firms…
6 March 2018/by Cengiz Horn
Czech Republic – a quick overview
The Czech Republic (CR) has reported economic growth last year…
27 February 2018/by Thomas Drobik
UK: An overview of the economic position
Following a shock decision to leave the European Union on 23rd…
20 February 2018/by Howard Manton
New trends in country risks: AU G-Grade Q1 2018
Over the past 6 months, the improvement in the global economy…
13 February 2018/by Olivier de la Pontais
End of the recession but an uncertain future
2017 marks the end of a strong three-year recessionary cycle,…
6 February 2018/by Daniel Boulet
Business Crime and Cyber Risks
According to the FBI director says, there are two kinds of companies:…
5 January 2018/by Cengiz Horn
Key conditions to your EDC policy
Your buyer is more than 60 days in default. What should you do?…
21 November 2017/by Roch Simard
New trends in country risks: AU G-GRADE Q4 2017
The global economic situation is improving…all the economic…
7 November 2017/by Olivier de la Pontais
Austria: back on a strong growth path
According to the Austrian Institute of Economic Research, the…
31 October 2017/by Christoph Zawadil
Leveraging Trade Credit Insurance for the banking industry
Since the development of trade credit insurance in Dubai, the…
26 October 2017/by Aurelien Paradis
Once upon a time: Trade Credit Insurance in Dubai – Episode 6: Normalisation
After the education period, we will reach the normalisation phase,…
19 September 2017/by Aurelien Paradis
Once upon a time: Trade Credit Insurance in Dubai – Episode 5: Education
After a period of exuberance, it is always a challenging time…
12 September 2017/by Aurelien Paradis
Once upon a time: Trade Credit Insurance in Dubai – Episode 4: Exuberance
After a period of significant growth in a non-mature market,…
5 September 2017/by Aurelien Paradis
Once upon a time: Trade Credit Insurance in Dubai – Episode 3: Growth
As explained in the previous article, the trade credit insurance…
29 August 2017/by Aurelien Paradis
New trends in country risks: AU G-GRADE Q3 2017
Since inception of the GGrade (2 years ago), we have rarely seen…
25 July 2017/by Olivier de la Pontais
The loonie: flying North
The Canadian one-dollar coin is commonly called the loonie as…
24 July 2017/by Roch Simard
Once upon a time: Trade Credit Insurance in Dubai – Episode 2: Awareness
As explained in the previous article, the launch of trade credit…
18 July 2017/by Aurelien Paradis
CETA: O Canada, Land of export
The United States cancelled the Reciprocity treaty that had allowed…
11 July 2017/by Roch Simard
TCI: not for me?
Well - because the digital revolution unfolds rapidly, you might…
4 July 2017/by Christophe Hardt
Credit Insurance Market 2017
AU Group is publishing its new Credit Insurance Market 2017.…
27 June 2017/by Olivier de la Pontais
Once upon a time: Trade Credit Insurance in Dubai – Episode 1
Trade credit insurance has been widely used in Europe for quite…
20 June 2017/by Aurelien Paradis
New trends in country risks: AU G-GRADE Q2 2017
Our “country risk” measurement tool, the AU G-Grade, has…
9 May 2017/by Olivier de la Pontais
Digitalisation of invoices, an opportunity to be mastered
Before 2013, legislation only allows two ways for the digitalisation…
4 April 2017/by Olivier Lustin
Cyber security still too weak in France
Cybercrime has become the second most common type of fraud and…
28 March 2017/by Vincent Tertrais
Trade Credit Insurance, the backbone of emerging markets
Unlike other lines of general insurance, Trade Credit Insurance…
14 March 2017/by Aurelien Paradis
New trends in country risks: AU G-GRADE Q1 2017
In the first quarter of 2017, credit insurers have reassessed…
7 March 2017/by Olivier de la Pontais
A better understanding of how bonds can protect your company
Being able to provide a bond will give confidence to many suppliers…
14 February 2017/by Jérôme Goldie
The Fintechs: towards a revolution of finance?
Finance and Technology are the two pillars upon which these new…
24 January 2017/by Marc Delerue
Uncertainty and debt
Mixing uncertainty with debt. Rarely a healthy recipe. The festive…
10 January 2017/by Roch Simard
The rise of Multi-Reverse Factoring
"Multi-Reverse Factoring" is an alternative to conventional financing…
13 December 2016/by Nicolas du Plessis
What if the answer does not lie with just one credit insurer!
Simplicity, economy of scale, volume leverage... So many good…
6 December 2016/by Valentine du Payrat
Preventing credit risk: yes, but at what cost?
Risk management within a company helps to control the budget…
29 November 2016/by Vivien de Lassee
Credit insurance: an investment where the profitability can be objectively measured (ROI)
It is much too common for companies to consider insurance as…
22 November 2016/by Laurent de Négri
Diversify your financing sources with factoring!
One of the paradoxes in these times of economic tension is the…
15 November 2016/by Matthieu Arnoux
New trends in country risks: AU G-GRADE Q4 2016
9 countries have seen their country risk evolve significantly…
8 November 2016/by Olivier de la Pontais
New trends in country risks: AU G-GRADE 3Q 2016
This new country risk assessment covers the period from the 1st…
8 September 2016/by Olivier de la Pontais
Cyber attack methods and business impact
When Jimi Hendrix sang Elmore James' Bleeding Heart, little did…
20 July 2016/by Ernest Legrand
Too big to fail ? Don’t live in fear of your main customer going out to business, think single buyer
Too big to fail ? Don't live in fear of your main customer going…
9 June 2016/by Agnes Lefevre
New trends in country risks: AU G-GRADE 2Q 2016
Risk Managers cannot avoid taking into consideration the current…
11 May 2016/by Olivier de la Pontais
Greece at a crossroad
The political uncertainty, capital controls, the impact of the…
8 March 2016/by Loïsa Ranunkel
New trends in country risks – Focus Greece
It might be a surprise for some people to see the G-Grade of…
2 February 2016/by Olivier de la Pontais
Be proactive in assessing your political risks !
The worldwide credit crunch in 2008-2009; the drastic and swift…
12 January 2016/by Loïsa Ranunkel
Where is Waldo? … On export markets … Yes, but…
Who has not ever played "Where is Waldo?» You know, this game…
17 December 2015/by Roch Simard
Credit Insurance – An Evolving Product
Many businesses buy different types of insurance to protect themselves…
4 December 2015/by Teri Diaz
Knowing your business partners is essential for smooth growth
Sales development involves finding new business partners further…
26 November 2015/by Pénélope Cardera
Check-list: The key points of customer identification
Customer identification guidelines were established by the European…
10 November 2015/by Nathalie Lopes
Payment delays and corporate insolvencies: a “cause and effect” relationship
France - Payment delays and corporate insolvencies: a “cause…
5 November 2015/by Ladislas Cassin
G Grade 3rd quarter : Discover new trends in country risks
A quarter might seem to be a short period of time, but it’s…
13 October 2015/by Olivier de la Pontais
Crises and opportunities
It is generally accepted that receivables represent approximately…
23 July 2015/by Predrag Pancevski
US Bankruptcy Law and the Rise of Preference Claims
It has often been said that risk taking and entrepreneurial spirit…
30 June 2015/by Oliver Squibb
Innovative Grading for Country Risk
The Dashboard of Grading for Country Risk
AU Group has just…
29 June 2015/by Howard Manton
A Study of the Credit Insurance Market
With minimal growth being experienced in Western Europe, the…
25 June 2015/by Howard Manton
Austrian Insolvencies down by 12.6% in Q1 2015
The total number of insolvencies decreased from 1,452 in Q1 2014…
16 April 2015/by Christoph Zawadil
Businesses in trouble: end of short-term financing?
Few companies enjoy a steady flow of business with customer orders…
9 April 2015/by Marc Delerue
German credit insurance market
In 2014 the economic recovery stabiled at a good level, based…
19 March 2015/by AU German Desk
Dubai : a market facing a lack of transparency
The United Arab of Emirates (UAE) was created in 1971 on the…
22 January 2015/by Aurelien Paradis
Overview of the credit risk and the credit insurance market in Russia
1- Can you give us an overview of the economic situation in Russia…
15 January 2015/by Thomas Bolinger
The economic situation in the Czech Republic
The economy in the Czech Republic had been in a protracted recession…
8 January 2015/by Thomas Drobik
Competition of Currency depreciation
It was another surprise to see Japanese yen going down to another…
11 December 2014/by Eugene Chen
Losses can be large, sudden and unexpected
Recently, OW Bunker, one of the world's largest bunker suppliers,…
26 November 2014/by Howard Manton
Solutions for Commercial and Financial Information
Although the first commercial information bureau opened in 1841…
16 October 2014/by Ingrid Becuwe
Sicherstellung von Liquidität in Österreich
Die Sicherstellung einer ausreichenden Liquidität ist laut einer…
9 October 2014/by Christoph Zawadil
Overview of the credit risk and the credit insurance market in China
1. Hui Wang, Can you give us an overview of the economic situation…
25 September 2014/by Hui Wang
Trading Companies coping with Credit Risk Management
Until recently, trading companies had little need for credit…
18 September 2014/by Vivien de Lassee
Giving an overview of the Italian economic situation today is quite a simple thing: we are in a deep crisis!
However, a few months ago a character has arrived on our political…
11 September 2014/by Daria Mariscotti
Comments on US Bankruptcy Code “ Preference Claims”
Comments on US Bankruptcy Code “Preference Claims”: defenses…
4 September 2014/by Bryan Squibb
How to best to prepare for a risk negotiation meeting with an insurer
In a persistent uncertain environment, even if companies must…
31 July 2014/by Nicolas du Plessis
Eastern Europe: A challenging business environment!
In 2014, Eastern Europe is forecast to see a slight deterioration…
22 July 2014/by Valentine du Payrat
The UK Economy – A Real Recovery or Flattering to Deceive?
Laurie Harton of Hanwell Atkinson Ltd takes a snapshot of the…
5 June 2014/by Laurie Harton
Credit insurance – a possible alternative to Letters of Credit
A Letter of Credit is widely acknowledged as being the most reassuring…
22 May 2014/by Jean Baptiste de Bouard
Overseas sales: Choosing the right payment method!
With growth prospects in Europe forecast to be disappointing,…
15 May 2014/by Francois Fargis
Non-Recourse Invoice Discounting Facility v Recourse Invoice Discounting with a separate Credit Insurance Policy
In his latest blog, Mark Barton of our UK associate, Hanwell…
17 April 2014/by Mark Barton
SEPA: Single Euro Payments Area / New procedures for bank transfers and direct debits in 2014
As of 1 August 2014, SEPA credit transfers and SEPA direct debits…
20 March 2014/by Anne Sylvie Bouret
AU Group International conference 2014
AU Group held an International Conference in Paris on the 6th…
21 February 2014/by Olivier de la Pontais
Insuring against a transfer risk
A non-transfer risk, sometimes accompanied by a currency risk,…
6 February 2014/by Jean Lalanne Larrieu
Dare to invest in Africa!
Only export or innovative businesses are optimistic in the current…
24 January 2014/by Valentine du Payrat
News and issues from credit management IT tools
The Financial and Administrative Directors Congress held in July…
26 November 2013/by Olivier de la Pontais
Top-Up solutions: a guaranteed “boost” to be used wisely !
As its name suggests, Top-Up insurance is extra cover granted…
19 November 2013/by Stephan Haushofer
Reverse Factoring
In a gloomy economic climate and an increasingly restrictive regulatory context (LME [French Law on the Modernisation of the Economy], Basel III, etc.), banks are increasingly wary when it comes to financing companies, at a time when cash flows are feeling the pinch. In these uncertain times, CFOs are searching more than ever for ways to improve performance.
15 September 2013/by Arnaud De Fleurieu
Manufacturing risk
The purpose of a credit insurance policy is to cover your credit…
14 September 2013/by Dominique Monnier
Overview of credit-insurance market in Canada
The Canadian market is shared by six private insurers and one Canadian Crown Corporation - Export Development Canada (EDC).
22 August 2013/by Roch Simard