To find out more about Coface in the UK & Ireland tel: 01923 478111 
Coface, the global provider of credit management services, has published an authoritative guide to international trade. The Handbook of Country Risk provides up-to-date analysis of the risks involved in trading with 155 countries, giving each one a unique country risk rating and introducing the new business climate rating.
The guide highlights key economic indicators such as GDP, growth and imports and crucially assesses the likelihood of payment default. It also weighs the risks and opportunities in emerging markets and gives industrial sector performance overviews from across the developed and developing world.
This year the handbook identifies those countries likely to suffer the most from the correction contagion that has swept across the United States. It also calls for caution when dealing with emerging countries where, in some cases, trading risk is heightened where improvements in governance standards have not kept pace with robust economic growth.
The guide will be of value to those making export and international investment decisions; finance managers responsible for credit risk and debt collection; trade finance professionals and organisations involved in trade development.
The information contained in the guide is regularly updated on Coface’s country and sector risk website, www.trading-safely.com.
The handbook costs £85 and can be ordered online at www.globalmarketbriefings.com or by telephoning 020 3031 2900.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Business Climate Rating
Coface has developed a specific system for rating the business environment in 155 countries. The Business Climate Rating complements Country@ratings and reflects business environment quality by country.
Through the new rating system, Coface is making its longstanding and thorough experience of the realities of the business climate available to all, to improve the approach to credit risk for companies. This is because in assessing credit risks, it is equally important to know whether a company’s accounts faithfully reflect its actual financial situation and whether the legal system can provide fair and efficient recourse in case of payment default.
Coface has drawn on its experience of risk underwriting, business information, and receivables management gained through its worldwide network of local operations to develop the BusinessEnvironment@rating system. Like Country@ratings, the new ratings are on a scale with seven levels in increasing order of risk, A1, A2, A3, A4, B, C, and D - where A1 represents the least risk.
The so-called BRIC countries — Brazil, Russia, India, and China — provide a good case in point. In particular, the Country@rating for China is A3, which reflects an acceptable level of corporate default probability. However, the BusinessEnvironment@rating for China is only B - a mediocre rating two levels below its overall country rating.
For information about Coface, please contact:
Trevor Byrne, Tel: +44 (0)1923 478393;
Email: trevor_byrne@cofaceuk.com
Website: www.cofaceuk.com
For press enquiries, please contact:
Adrian Beeby at FWD PR, Tel: +44 (0)20 7623 2368
Email: adrian.beeby@fwdpr.co.uk
About Coface
Coface's mission is to facilitate global business-to-business trade by offering its 120,000 customers four business lines to fully or partly outsource trade relationship management and to finance and protect their receivables: credit insurance, factoring, ratings and company information and receivables management. Thanks to the worldwide local service delivered by 7,000 staff in 65 countries, over 45% of the world's 500 largest corporate groups are already customers of Coface. Coface is a subsidiary of Natixis whose share capital (Tier 1) was 11.7 billion euros end December 2007.
www.coface.com
In the UK and Republic of Ireland Coface has been a leading provider of credit management services since 1993, it’s objective being to enable businesses to trade securely at home and overseas. Operating from offices in London, Dublin, Watford, Birmingham, Leeds and Cardiff allows Coface to provide a local service. The company’s credit insurance offer integrates credit assessment, collection services and cover for unpaid debts. Multinational businesses can protect their worldwide subsidiaries through Coface’s international network while those with excellent credit management can use self-underwritten policies. Coface provides working capital and off balance sheet facilities to complement its product line.
The company also provides access to domestic and international business information and a collection network at home and overseas. Coface is also a recognised operator in the London political risk market and a provider of surety bonds and guarantees.
www.cofaceuk.com and www.coface.ie
