GFTM to launch single-invoice trade credit insurance for builders merchants. Professional Builders Merchant has reported that GFTM plans to launch single-invoice trade credit insurance for builders' merchants in Q2 2026. The article notes that instead of requiring an annual policy, the new service will allow merchants to insure individual invoices only when needed, and is intended for merchants who have never previously used trade credit insurance. Pricing is expected to start from around 1% of invoice value, with no minimum usage and no long-term commitment. The service will also include a "self-insurance route" to help customers secure credit-based supply. A contractor or trade buyer will be able to register with GFTM and see the level of insurance that could, in principle, support their purchases. They can then approach a merchant showing that a future invoice could already be insured, with the merchant able to register via a dedicated link and obtain cover immediately. To read the article, go to https://professionalbuildersmerchant.co.uk/news/gftm-to-launch-single-invoice-trade-credit-insurance-for-merchants/.

2025 snapshot of the regulatory landscape in credit insurance. The Berne Union's 2025 Yearbook features an article by Daniel de Búrca, Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at ICISA, offering a snapshot of the evolving regulatory landscape for trade credit insurance. He argues that 2025 marks another inflection point as regulators try to balance competitiveness, prudence and innovation amid persistent global uncertainty. Updated Solvency II rules, Basel III implementation, and changes to Minimum Capital Requirements are reshaping capital and reporting, while some exposure-reporting requirements remain ambiguous and need clarification. Because Basel never created a bespoke treatment for credit insurance, supervisors have interpreted it differently, prompting banks to reassess how they use cover for capital relief. Looking ahead to 2026, ICISA expects continued focus on simplification, ESG and digitalisation, creating both complexity and opportunity for credit insurers. To read this article, go to https://www.berneunion.org/Articles/Preview?articleId=989.​​​​​​​​

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Willis flags trade credit insurance as a core component of construction resilience. Construction News has included an article in which Willis highlights trade credit insurance as one of the key tools available to contractors facing rising insolvency risk in the UK construction sector. In the article, Wendy Sumner, Director, GB Construction at Willis, describes insolvency risk as "one of the most acute exposures" and characterises trade credit insurance as a "cashflow safety net" that protects receivables and strengthens contractors' financial position, in turn improving access to lending and bonding facilities. The piece places trade credit insurance alongside strengthened financial monitoring, more probing pre-qualification, surety solutions and OCIPs as part of a broker-led approach to managing counterparty default and maintaining project continuity. To read Construction News' article, go to https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/sponsored/how-to-build-insolvency-resilience-05-01-2026/.

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The convergence of generative and agentic AI marks a pivotal moment for the trade credit insurance sector. In the Berne Union Yearbook 2025, Jon Holvoet, Chief Technology Officer at Credendo, argues that trade credit insurers are well-positioned for AI-driven transformation due to the volume and diversity of data they handle, as well as the repetitive nature of underwriting tasks. He notes that "true untapped potential" lies in unstructured data – financial statements, emails, scanned documents, market reports and legal texts – that require intensive manual review. Generative and agentic AI can extract, classify and summarise this information, turning dormant data into actionable insight. Jon stresses that success depends on responsible, well-governed AI, supported by staff training and business-led implementation. To read this article, go to https://www.berneunion.org/Articles/Preview?articleId=989.

94% of trade credit insurers plan to invest in or expand their investment in digitalisation and AI. SCHUMANN has warned that tariff disputes and geopolitical tensions have led to a deterioration in global credit risk, with losses edging higher and trading conditions expected to remain difficult over the next 12–24 months. Consequently, trade credit insurers anticipate rising insolvencies and claims, and are responding with more selective underwriting and greater investment in digitalisation and AI. SCHUMANN notes that, according to ICISA research, 94% of credit insurers plan to invest in or expand their use of these technologies. Alongside tech investment, demand is also expected to grow for non-mainstream products such as non-cancellable limits, top-up cover, co-insurance and other risk-sharing mechanisms. To read SCHUMANN's news release, go to https://prof-schumann.com/en/blog/schumann-appoints-new-ceo-and-focuses-on-credit-insurance.

Redefining trade credit insurance with XOL. Global Trade Review (GTR) has published an article in which Joep van der Bijl, Lead Underwriter, Multi-buyer trade credit, Continental Europe at Liberty Specialty Markets, explains how excess of loss (XOL) structures are reshaping trade credit insurance. He notes that traditional whole turnover policies provide broad insurer-led coverage but can be inflexible and may be costly for companies with strong internal credit management. XOL offers more tailored, portfolio-specific protection, allowing clients to retain first losses, manage their own credit limits, and use insurance mainly for high-severity or concentrated risks. He suggests that this combination of flexibility, creativity and strong partnership makes trade credit insurance "evolve from a reactive safety net against credit losses into a proactive tool to drive growth and competitive advantage." To read GTR's article, go to https://www.gtreview.com/supplements/gtr-risk-2025/beyond-blanket-coverage-redefining-trade-credit-insurance-with-xol/.​​​​

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Strong but slowing: Allianz Trade forecasts moderate global growth. Allianz Trade's 'Economic Outlook for 2026-27' forecasts steady but easing global growth as economies face persistent structural challenges, geopolitical fragmentation, and shifting financial conditions. Global GDP growth is expected to moderate, from 3% in 2025 to 2.9% in 2026 and 2.8% in 2027, with the US and China continuing to provide most of the momentum. The Eurozone is set for only modest improvement: growth of 1.1% in 2026 after 1.4% in 2025, rising to 1.2%-1.3% when excluding Ireland's volatile data. Germany should return to growth at 0.9% in 2026, though structural weaknesses remain, while France is expected to expand by 1.1%, supported by a renewed investment cycle despite political headwinds. To read Allianz Trade's report (or download a presentation of findings), go to https://www.allianz-trade.com/en_global/news-insights/economic-insights/economic-outlook-2026-27-stretching-the-limits.html.

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2026 North America Outlook: Economic predictions from Atradius leaders. Atradius experts (Gordon Cessford, President of Atradius North America; Nikki Kastanakis, Vice President and Regional Unit Director for Atradius' Global Unit; Patrick Scardina, Senior Manager and Risk Underwriter; Dana Bodnar, Senior Economist; and John Lorié, Chief Economist) expect 2026 to be a year of measured progress. In the US, Gordon expects GDP growth of roughly 1.6-1.9%, with inflation easing but likely remaining above target and unemployment edging higher. Nikki expects North America to see mixed performance: Slower growth in the US and Canada, at 1.8% and 1.5%, respectively, with growth of 2-3% in Mexico.​ Patrick warns that US corporate bankruptcies hit record highs in late 2025 and could climb further in 2026. John anticipates very weak global trade growth in 2026, "if any". To read Atradius' article, go to https://resources.atradius.us/trends-and-insights/2026-outlook-economic-predictions-from-atradius-leaders/.

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Global insolvencies look set to hit a record high in 2026. Allianz Trade's 'Global Insolvency Outlook 2026-2027', warns that the global business environment faces a prolonged period of elevated risk, with global business insolvencies having risen by 6% in 2025 and expected to rise again by 5% in 2026. This will mark the fifth straight year of increases, leaving global insolvencies 24% above pre-pandemic levels and extending a pattern of rising failures that has continued for twelve consecutive quarters since mid-2022. Growth will be uneven across regions. Asia will remain the biggest driver, contributing around half of the global increase, led by China (+9% in 2025 and +10% in 2026). The US is also expected to continue its rebound (+9% in 2025, +8% in 2026). By contrast, markets such as the UK and Spain are stabilising, and Western Europe could see a slight decline (-2%) in 2026. To read Allianz Trade's Global Insolvency Outlook, go to https://www.allianz-trade.com/en_HK/insights/global-economic-insights/global-insolvency-outlook-2026-27.html.

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US insolvencies rise above pre-pandemic levels for the first time. Research by Coface has found that US business insolvencies have risen consistently above pre-pandemic levels for the first time, with 6,574 bankruptcies in Q3 2025 – the highest since Q2 2014 and around 15% above the 2019 average. Larger failures were heavily concentrated in retail, industrials and healthcare (71% of large insolvencies in H1 2025). In retail, rising failures reflected weaker real wages and the structural shift towards online, hitting casual dining chains and store-heavy models. In industrials, insolvencies were linked to the 2022-23 manufacturing recession, with output still below its 2018 and 2022 peaks, while labour shortages, rising wage bills, and lower reimbursement rates are driving healthcare failures. Coface expects insolvencies to remain above pre-pandemic levels, with some room for improvement from the second half of 2026. To read Coface's news release, go to https://www.coface.com/news-economy-and-insights/us-insolvencies-rise-above-pre-pandemic-levels-for-the-first-time.

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The outlook for UK construction darkened during 2025. Tokio Marine HCC's latest 'UK Construction Sector Report: December 2025' advises that 2025 was another disappointing year for UK construction. The report notes that the latest projections from the Construction Products Association, released in October, forecast total construction sector output at 1.1% in 2025 and 2.8% in 2026, down from the previous forecasts of 1.9% and 3.7%. The rate of decline in total industry activity was the steepest since mid-2020, with all three sub-sectors remaining in contraction territory. Credit risk also continues to be a source of concern. Although insolvencies fell slightly, UK construction still displays an above-average insolvency risk. The sector accounts for around 6-7% of national gross value added but almost 17% of all insolvencies, reflecting small profit margins of just 2-4%. Worryingly, the report adds that anecdotal evidence suggests payment patterns are deteriorating again. To read Tokio Marine's report, go to https://www.tmhcc.com/en/news-and-articles/thought-leadership/uk-construction-sector-report-december-2025.

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Outlook for 2026: moderate growth and persistent insolvencies. Coface's 'Economic Outlook' for 2026 suggests that 2025 was a turning point for global GDP, with geopolitics and "weaponised" trade weighing on confidence, consumption and investment. For 2026, it forecasts moderate global growth of around 2.4-2.5%, down from 2.6-2.7% in 2025 and below pre-pandemic potential (which it sees as the new normal). US growth is expected to stabilise slightly below 2%, supported by AI-related investment in data centres, networks and power. In Europe, GDP growth is forecast to stay close to 1%, with Germany around 1% (helped by the Merz plan), and France at 0.6%. China is expected to continue its gradual slowdown, while India remains a key global growth engine. Business failures are expected to continue rising in 2026, though the pace of increase is slowing. To read Coface's news release, go to https://www.coface.com/news-economy-and-insights/economic-outlook-for-2026-preparing-european-businesses-for-turbulence.​​​​

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Allianz Trade launches Specialty Credit Social2Social. Allianz Trade has launched Specialty Credit Social2Social, a solution designed to support projects that tackle specific social challenges and deliver measurable positive outcomes. The product enables corporates, financial institutions, multilaterals and public bodies to participate in socially impactful projects while being protected against non-payment and political risks through a specialty credit policy. To qualify as a Social2Social transaction, a project must contribute to at least one of three areas: affordable basic infrastructure and essential services, affordable housing, or socioeconomic advancement and empowerment in underdeveloped areas or disadvantaged communities. Allianz Trade also commits to investing all premiums received from Social2Social policies into certified social bonds, reinforcing the link between risk cover and social impact. To read Alliaz Trade's news release, go to https://www.allianz-trade.com/en_global/news-insights/news/specialty-credit-social2social.html.

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Atradius releases over 500 industry forecasts globally. Atradius has released an updated 'Industry Performance Forecast per Market', providing sector-by-sector business performance and credit risk assessments from its underwriters across key markets in Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. In total, 555 forecasts have been issued: 149 are rated low risk, 212 moderate risk and 194 high risk. Outlooks for food, pharmaceuticals, financial services, chemicals, electronics/ICT and agriculture are generally more favourable than the overall benchmark. Machines/engineering and services sit in the mid-range, level. Risk is elevated in transport, automotive, consumer durables and paper, while the most negative assessments are concentrated in construction, metals/steel and textiles. To read Atradius' news release, go to https://atradius.co.uk/knowledge-and-research/news/atradius-releases-over-500-industry-forecasts-globally.

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Xenia Broking announces a rebrand. Xenia Broking has announce that in one month's time, it will be rebranding under the name Brown & Brown. This unification aim to bring greater visibility of Brown & Brown's specialist solutions and strengthen the support available to Xenia Broking's Trade Credit and Sureties Clients.