Mon, May 12 2008



History
1946   Coface is founded as a specialised export credit insurance company, managing its own products and State guarantees for French exports.
1992   Coface begins its international expansion into the United Kingdom and Italy (with Viscontea Coface), paving the way for acquisitions in Germany (AK Coface) and Austria (KV Coface) in 1996. It sets up the CreditAlliance network of credit insurers.
1994   Coface is privatised.
1995   The CreditAlliance network is extended to credit information.
1999   Coface extends its service offering to factoring by setting up AKCF in Germany.
2000   Coface launches @rating, adding a worldwide insurable trade debt rating system to its credit information service.
2002   Natexis Banques Populaires becomes Coface majority shareholder.
2004   Coface acquires Ort from Reuters and combines this company's expertise with that of Coface Scrl to become France's leading credit information provider. It also forges international partnerships, particularly in the area of corporate ratings in Russia Banking Association, and in Japan with Nexi, the public-sector credit insurer.
2005   - Acquisition of credit insurer in South Africa, CUAL, and of Lithuanian credit insurer LEID.
- Gain major share in Israeli business information company BDI.
- Launch of Strategic Plan 2005-2007.
2006   - Creation of Coface Services 1 January 2006 (merger of Coface Scrl and Coface Ort).
- Creation of Coface Algerie.
- Purchase of a leading American provider of receivables management services (Newton & Associates Holding Company).
- Acquisition of a stake in Cerved, Italian leader in business information.
- Development of commercial offer in countries where Coface is present: 2 new countries for company information, 10 for receivables management, 4 for credit insurance and 4 for factoring.
- Creation of Natixis on 17 November 2006, bringing the financing, investment asset management and financial services banking activities of the Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne groups.
2007   Acquisition of Kompass France, Kompass Belgium and Spanish branch office