The Berne Union Yearbook is an annual publication providing up-to-date information about our members and the current policies and strategies of international economic institutions.
The yearbook features a collection of topical articles on export credit and investment insurance written by Berne Union members and leading international financial institutions.
Yearly data snapshots, commentary on relevant industry trends and a directory of Berne Union members is also included.
Please note that Berne Union statistics are revised if and when needed. For the most up-to-date figures please refer to the statistics page of this website.
International trade is both a consequence and a cause of economic stability
But today, the established economic norms and accepted geopolitical risks of past decades no longer apply.
How do we adapt to this new world of uncertainty where we must seemingly redraw our maps at the same time as we chart a course f...
Adapt, Innovate, Accelerate, Repeat
As an industry, we have weathered a difficult period with resilience.
While the shocks of the pandemic are surely not over, if we are to secure a sustainable future, now is the time to accelerate the transformation and innovation which it has triggered.
The year of ‘COVID’ and coalescence of mega trends in trade, risk, sustainability, public policy and technology.
The Berne Union marks this pivotal year with an examination of the disruption and an exploration of the opportunities to rebuild for the future.
Risk, Uncertainty and Change ~ Preparedness, Adaptation, Innovation
State of the export credit and investment insurance industry in 2019
Accumulated uncertainty is the major factor shaping the current trade environment, with an impact far greater than any individual risk. Political, social and economic force...
High claims payments continue in the first half of 2018, and we appear set for a 4th consecutive year of > US$ 6 bn for the full year
We are in a busy environment for risks, and for many of these downside impact is as unpredictable as the outcome. Despite this, Berne Union Members’ business is in a relatively stab...
2017 so far, appears to show a natural continuation of the trends seen in 2016: positive growth in new business, healthy demand and a continued appetite for risk from our members, despite an elevated claims environment.
The Berne Union has entered a new epoch, following formal integration of the Prague Club to become the 4th Committee. There has long been a great diversity amongst the membership of the Berne Union and never more so than now. Under the new Berne Union, 69 operators of state-backed export credit accounts are joined with 12 private insurance compani...
The global economy continues to fluctuate with historical shifts in balance, difficulty in sustaining economic growth, and increasing volatility due to heightened interconnectivity of previously isolated risks. As experts in their respective fields, our members continue to evolve to meet the needs of their everchanging customers and stakeholders. T...
This is a particularly big year for the Berne Union, which has now been supporting exporters, borrowers, investors and the overall export financing sector for the past 80 years. It is also a celebratory year, as few organisations have such an excellent and consistent track-record of performance in global trade. In the case of the Berne Union, membe...
Since the outbreak of the credit crisis in 2008, Berne Union members have consistently increased their market share in world trade, which is now well over 10%. At the height of the credit crisis in 2009, the contraction of the world economy was much stronger than the decrease of business covered by Berne Union members. From the gradual recovery in ...
In 2011, Berne Union members supported US$1.8tn of global trade and investment, facilitating around 10% of the world’s cross-border trade. Last year, with exports continuing to grow and large parts of the world recovering from the credit crisis, the members of the Berne Union were able to once again increase their business levels to the benef...
Following a reduction in business levels due tot he financial crisis in 2009, the statistics for 2010 demonstrate that Berne Union members continued to support approximately 10% of world trade. The total business volumes of all member companies reached USD 1.43 trillion in 201, up from USD 1.36 trillion the year before, and the second highest level...