Trade Credit for Export Businesses
Overview
Solutions can be tailored to suit specific countries, sectors and transaction sizes, ensuring the credit cover and policy structure aligns with your business strategy. Beyond financial protection, trade credit insurance delivers valuable market intelligence, helping exporters understand overseas buyer performance, local payment practices and regional risks.
With this knowledge, businesses can make informed decisions, improve operational planning and trade with confidence, knowing that unforeseen defaults will not compromise their revenue, growth or ability to continue international operations seamlessly.
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How We Can Help
We specialise in supporting exporters with tailored trade credit insurance solutions designed to protect revenue, stabilise cash flow and manage credit risk in international markets. Our team assesses your exposure to overseas customers the size and frequency of transactions, the sector and the unique risks associated with each country or region. We then recommend policies that suit your business objectives, whether covering single high-value contracts or your entire export portfolio.
We work closely with insurers to establish appropriate credit limits and competitive policy structures, helping exporters confidently extend credit to new or unfamiliar customers. Market Intelligence is crucial in supporting export businesses. Trade Credit insurers have various monitoring services, which alert businesses to changes in customer creditworthiness, insolvency risks or payment delays, allowing proactive management of exposure and risk mitigation
Beyond protection, a trade credit insurance policy provides insight into international trade patterns and buyer performance, helping businesses make informed decisions and develop strategic growth plans. Whether expanding into emerging markets, negotiating larger contracts or optimising existing export operations, trade credit insurance enables companies to pursue opportunities with confidence. By combining financial security, market intelligence and practical guidance, we empower exporters to protect cash flow, reduce risk and maintain continuity even when unforeseen events occur, supporting sustainable growth across global markets.
Your Questions, Answered
Why do export businesses benefit from trade credit insurance?
Exporters operate in markets where payment behaviour, legal systems and financial stability vary significantly, creating greater uncertainty. Trade credit insurance helps mitigate these risks by protecting against non-payment due to insolvency, protracted default or political events. It also supports growth by enabling exporters to trade confidently with new customers in unfamiliar regions. Insured exporters often benefit from improved access to finance, stronger credit management and more competitive trading terms. With reliable protection in place, businesses can expand into new territories without exposing themselves to unnecessary risk, ensuring greater stability across their international operations.
How does trade credit insurance help when entering unfamiliar markets?
New export markets present challenges such as unclear financial information, limited trading history, language barriers and unfamiliar commercial practices. Trade credit insurance provides independent assessment of customer risk, helping exporters make informed decisions from the outset. Insurers offer valuable market intelligence, highlighting sectors, regions and companies with stronger payment performance. This support helps avoid unreliable buyers and reduces reliance on untested local agents. By offering assurance that invoices are protected, trade credit insurance enables exporters to extend competitive payment terms safely. Ultimately, it reduces uncertainty, increases confidence and allows businesses to focus on building long-term international relationships.
Does trade credit insurance support cash flow for exporters?
Yes. Exporters often face longer payment terms, higher transaction costs and more complex collection processes, all of which increase cash flow pressure. Trade credit insurance ensures stability by indemnifying exporters when overseas customers fail to pay, whether due to insolvency or extended default. This protection allows businesses to plan with greater accuracy, maintain working capital and avoid sudden financial disruption. Insurers also monitor buyer risk and provide early warning of developing issues, helping exporters act before cash flow is affected. With a policy in place, banks may offer improved lending terms, further supporting liquidity and sustainable export growth.
What additional risks do export businesses face that insurance can cover?
Exporters face risks such as political unrest, currency restrictions, regulatory changes and economic instability within destination markets. These external factors can disrupt payments even when buyers remain solvent. Many trade credit insurance policies extend cover to include political risks, ensuring exporters are protected when issues outside their control interrupt trading. Insurers also help assess cross-border transport, jurisdictional differences and international payment systems. By combining risk monitoring, credit analysis and indemnification, trade credit insurance helps form a reliable safety net. This layered protection gives exporters greater certainty and enables more ambitious international sales strategies with reduced exposure to unforeseen losses.