Atradius

Atradius N.V.

Trade credit insurer

    1954 Gerling-Konzern Speziale Kreditversicherung (GKS)
    Industry Insurance
    Headquarters Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Area served
    		 Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, Oceania, South America
    Key people
    		 Isidoro Unda, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (2008)
    Products Export Credit Insurance, Bonding, Instalment Credit Protection (ICP), Reinsurance Business, Collections
    Owner Crédito y Caución (64.23%), Grupo Catalana Occidente (35.77%) (2012)
    Number of employees
    		 3,300 FTEs
    Divisions Atradius Collections Holding B.V. (NL), Atradius Credit Insurance Agency, Inc (USA), Atradius Insurance Holding N.V. (NL), Atradius Finance B.V. (NL), Atradius Participations Holding B.V. (NL)
    Website www.atradius.com

    Atradius is one of the world's largest credit insurers,[1] with more than 160 offices in 50 countries, 3300 staff and revenues of more than €1.6 billion in 2014.[2] The company is rated 'A (excellent) out look stable' by A.M. Best[3] and 'A3 outlook stable' by Moody's[4]

    History

    Trade credit insurance was introduced after World War I by various governments and private insurers as a means of economic stimulus.

    The roots of Atradius can be found in the 2001 acquisition by German insurer Gerling-Konzern Speziale Kreditversicherung (Gerling Credit) of Dutch insurer Nederlandsche Credietverzekering Maatschappij (NCM). The company was then branded as GERLING NCM.

    Before then, both Gerling Credit and NCM had established a strong and long standing reputation in the credit insurance industry.

    Gerling Credit was established in 1954 as the credit insurance arm of the Gerling-Konzern insurance group of Cologne. In 1962 it opened its first international branch office in Switzerland and was the first private credit insurer to offer export credit protection.

    NCM had been founded in 1925 with the goal of improving trade for companies in the Netherlands. From 1932 onwards it also became the arm of the Dutch government through which it provided export credit services to Dutch companies. Atradius still performs this function through its affiliate Atradius Dutch State Business.

    Both Gerling Credit and NCM had made their own acquisitions before their combination, including the acquisition by NCM of the short-term arm of the UK government’s Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) in 1991 and private insurers such as Namur Assurances du Crédit S.A., Belgium by Gerling Credit in 1994, both of which have their own histories dating back to the birth of trade credit insurance around 1919.

    The now international group was renamed Atradius in 2004: the name echoing the group’s commitment to support worldwide trade. In 2008 the group was further enhanced by the addition of Spanish credit insurer Crédito y Caución, founded in 1928, and subsequently gained an additional foothold in the Spanish speaking world.

    The Atradius Group today is the amalgamation of a number of international trade credit insurers[5] and affiliated organisations from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, UK and USA.

    Although now Spanish owned, the headquarters remains in Amsterdam.[6]

    Products

    Atradius products and services help manage the payment default risks - the risk that a buyer fails to pay for the products of services it buys on trade credit terms. These products include Trade Credit Insurance, Bonding, Instalment Credit Protection, Reinsurance Business and Collections

    Shareholders

    Grupo Compañía Espanõla de Crédito y Caución, S.L. (Grupo CyC) is a holding company owned 73.84% by Grupo Catalana Occidente. Groupo CyC hold 64.23% of Atradius N.V.

    Grupo Catalana Occidente S.A. (GCO) is the main shareholder of Atradius N.V. with an economic stake of 83.2%, of which 35.77% is directly owned and 47.43% is owned indirectly through Grupo CyC holding company. GCO holds a controlling stake of Atradius of 100%. Groupo Catalana Occidante is, either directly or indirectly, the parent company of a group of insurance companies and it listed on the Barcelona[7] and Madrid[8] stock exchanges.

    Management

    Atradius N.V. is a limited company organised under the laws of the Netherlands with a Management Board and a Supervisory board. The Management board consists of:

    Awards

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ http://siteresources.worldbank.org/FINANCIALSECTOR/Resources/Primer15_TradeCreditInsurance_Final.pdf
    2. ↑ Annual Report 2014 Atradius N.V. http://global.atradius.com/images/stories/Annual_Reports/2014/20150311_Atradius_Annual%20Report_2014.pdf
    3. ↑ Best's News Service via Bestwire - October 03, 2014 10:04 AM, http://www3.ambest.com/ambv/bestnews/newscontent.aspx?altsrc=108&refnum=177393
    4. ↑ Moody’s Investors Service, Credit Opinion: Atradius NV, Global Credit Research - 21 August 2014
    5. ↑ Trade credit insurance
    6. ↑ Atradius (2007). "History". Atradius Website. Atradius. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
    7. ↑ http://www.borsabcn.es/ing/aspx/Empresas/FichaValor.aspx?ISIN=ES0116920333&ClvEmis=16920
    8. ↑ http://www.bolsamadrid.es/ing/aspx/Empresas/FichaValor.aspx?ISIN=ES0116920333&ClvEmis=16920
    9. ↑ http://www.globalbrandsmagazine.com/award-winners-2014/
    10. ↑ http://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/global-banking-finance-review-awards-2014/

    External links

    Coordinates: 52°20′27.54″N 4°49′36.35″E / 52.3409833°N 4.8267639°E / 52.3409833; 4.8267639

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