In modern times, businesses often overlook the importance of what is usually a major business asset – the credit given, or money owed by customers.
The impact on cash flow can be devastating, and even for businesses with substantial cash reserves it can impact on shareholder value, and cause plans for the business to be changed as you move to cope with the unexpected.
Trade credit insurance is designed to help protect that asset, but, used correctly, it can do so much more for a business.
Trade credit insurance can help you:
- Increase sales: Support sales in new markets and territories, as well as focusing the sales effort.
- Reduce costs: By taking out credit insurance cover you are securing a business asset. Many banks will either improve overdraft rates or increase overdraft facilities when they know an asset is insured.
- Beat your competitors: In 2012, credit insurance secured over €1.92 trillion of trade globally. It is widely purchased in mainland Europe and increasingly worldwide.
- Build a corporate governance regime: One of the major risks facing any business is liquidity – simply having the cash in the right place at the right time. Credit insurance can help with this by securing cash from the debtor ledger.
- Protect cash flow and shareholder investment: Credit insurance can help in all these areas, plugging cash flow gaps with paid claims thereby supporting profitability.
There follows a précis of how credit insurance can do all of this, but there is no substitute for discussion, and our preference is always to talk through your business – so why not give our London (0203 713 3982) or Leeds office (0113 243 9812) a call. We have experience of working with large multinational groups down to smaller businesses across a range of sectors.
Of course, it is unlikely that, depending on your business and its stage of maturity, cover will be able to do all of this or that all of it is relevant to you. The key is finding the right partner, designing your programme correctly, and implementing it. At W Denis we have decades of experience across all teams of doing just that.
To this we add our experience with surety bonds (construction, duty deferment, travel) and political risk, which can stand independently or complement a credit insurance programme.
For more specific information about Trade Credit Insurance, please visit the website of W Denis Credit Risks Ltd
