Our history

While becoming more and more international, the Coface group has contributed since its establishment to the performance and growth of businesses of all sizes worldwide, and to building and conveying a climate of trust among economic players.

• Establishment of Coface, a French company specialising in export credit insurance.

• Start of international expansion. Gradual development of the network in new countries, most notably Germany and Austria in 1991 and UK and Italy in 1992.

• Coface privatised. The Group continues to handle public guarantees on behalf of the French State.

• Natixis becomes Coface's main shareholder. 

• Creation of Coface Trade Aid, a non-profit association whose objective is to promote education and economic development throughout the world.
• Coface adheres to the principles of Global Compact, in which companies undertake to adopt a socially responsible attitude, to integrate and promote principles relating to human rights, working conditions and fight against corruption.

• Coface becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Natixis, the financing, asset management and financial services arm of the BPCE Group, France’s second largest banking group.

• Launch of Coface Global Solutions (a set of services aimed at multinationals) and Top Liner (complementary cover to the classic credit insurance).

• Success of the Coface IPO on the regulated market of Euronext Paris.
• Launch of EasyLiner, a 100% online offer dedicated to SMEs

• Launch of a three-year strategic plan "Fit to Win", to improve risk management, operational efficiency and customer service quality.

2017:

• The public guarantees are transferred within a subsidiary of Bpifrance, thus putting an end to Coface's activities for the French State.

2018:

• ISS-oekom awards Coface "Prime" status for its performance in terms of social responsibility. Coface is thus among the top 10% of insurance companies in the world.

2019:

• Acquisition of SID - PKZ, the market leader in credit insurance in Slovenia.
• Presence in 100 countries.
• Services delivered in nearly 200 countries.

2020:

• With the acquisition of GIEK Kredittforsikring AS, Coface strengthens its position in the Nordic market.
• The Build to Lead strategic plan is launched, designed to consolidate the Group's leading role in credit insurance and develop adjacent businesses (information services, debt collection, bonds, factoring and single risk insurance).

2021:

• Natixis sells part of the capital of Coface SA to the Arch Capital Group Ltd, which now holds 29.5% of the shares
• Coface incorporates its strategy into the global framework of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

2022:

• Coface creates an entity so it can expand in New Zealand.

2023:

• Coface augments its databases with the acquisition of Rel8ed, a company specialising in data analysis in North America, and consolidates its analytical capabilities on behalf of our credit insurance and business information clients.