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- The Three Cs of International Credit
- Denied Parties; Export Administration Regulations
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- Export Credit vs International Credit
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- Credit Insurance; and the Foreign Credit Insurance Association
- The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
- The Growth of International Credit
- Credit Insurance; Trade Credit Insurance; Credit Risk Insurance; International Credit Insurance
- Export Credit Risk; International Commercial Risk, Export Trade Credit Risk
- Forfeiting; International Financing
- International Credit Policy; Open Account vs. Letter of Credit
- Foreign Financial Statement Analysis; IASB; International Accounting Standards Board
- Marine Cargo Insurance; Cargo Insurance; Ocean Marine Insurance
- International Payment Terms; Methods of Payment for International Sales
- Political Risk Insurance; Export Credit Insurance
- Silent Confirmation
- Sovereign Risk; Political Risk; Country Risk
- Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits; UCP 600
- Gathering Information about Foreign Credit Applicants
- International Open Account Terms
- Common Reasons for International Customer Payment Default
- Analyzing Foreign Financial Statements
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The Growth of International Credit
The growth of international credit is closely linked to the growth of international commerce. The volume of total exports worldwide increased in 8 of the 10 years between 2000 and 2009. As barriers to entry such as trade tariffs and more broadly protectionism continue to erode, it becomes progressively easier for companies to become involved in exporting.
Taking the appropriate level of credit risk is an essential part of a credit risk professional's job. In an increasingly complex global environment, it is essential to understand the risks associated with credit extension to foreign customers. A credit professional must be able to identify, assess, and manage these credit risk. Credit, settlement, currency and market risk are a subset of the risks that can adversely impact foreign customers' ability to pay trade creditors. Potential credit risks that should be analyzed include political stability, regional security, government regulations and legal policy, and overall economic conditions. Business environment risk can be broadly segmented into four categories:
* Political and Social Risk - Internal and external security, policy competency/consistency that impact business in a foreign country.
* Economic and Financial Risk - Inflation, fiscal policy, monetary policy, and macro policy that impact economic growth and the ability of foreign buyers to remit payment.
* Commercial Risk - Judicial competence, sanctity of contracts, regulatory transparency, systemic corruption that impact commercial trade both domestically and internationally.
* Country Risk - Country's external accounts, capital flows, foreign exchange reserves, size of external debt, debt service capacity that impacts its ability to meet payment obligations.
A successful credit professional will need to construct a grid or matrix to filter, assess and measure risk, and purchase insurance policies or structure credit policies and procedures along with terms and conditions of sale to mitigate these risks. This is the surest way to both maximize export sales and protect the creditor company's investment in accounts receivable.
© 2011 by Michael C. Dennis. All Rights Reserved. Michael is the author of "Credit and Collection Handbook." E-mail questions or comments to him at mcdennis13@yahoo.com