- FCI and the ICC Trade Register have partnered to share factoring data, improving transparency across global trade finance.
- The collaboration brings receivables-based finance data into the ICC dataset for the first time.
- The move reflects the growing importance of factoring in expanding access to trade finance.
FCI, the global representative and network for the factoring industry, has entered a factoring data-sharing cooperation with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Trade Register.
The announcement was made today, 8 June, on stage at FCI’s 58th Annual Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. The cooperation aims to improve the quality of data on international factoring and supply chain finance (SCF) while enhancing its availability. This will be done through contributing factoring data into the ICC Trade Register’s existing datasets, seeking to narrow the data gap between SCF and factoring solutions.
Factoring is a financial solution designed to improve cash-flow cycles, initiated by the supplier to convert outstanding invoices into capital by relying on the supplier’s own credit profile. SCF serves the same purpose, but is often referred to as reverse factoring, as it enables suppliers to get paid early through the buyer’s credit rating.
The data gap between the two solutions exists largely because the payables-based, buyer-led operations exist in a silo relative to the receivables-based, seller-led operations.
The ICC Trade Register, established during the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, has 22 member banks that provide data on trade assets, defaults, and recovery. According to the ICC, the Trade Register has reduced up to 90% of expected credit loss reserves and saved £1-2 million annually in liquidity costs, while also influencing regulation through data.
Although it has already expanded into SCF, factoring data had remained absent from the Trade Register until now, meaning receivables-based finance lacked representation.
“By contributing factoring data to the ICC Trade Register, we are helping to create a more complete and accurate picture of trade and receivables finance,” said Chenyue Mao, Chair of FCI.
Even with the current gap, the factoring market is anticipated to grow from $4.68 trillion in 2026 to $6.3 trillion by 2031, with particular momentum seen across the Middle East and Africa. It is expected to play a crucial role in improving smaller businesses’ access to trade finance across developing economies.
The partnership should bring increased market transparency, better support for standardisation and regulatory advocacy, and enhanced risk analytics.
“Partnering with FCI enables us to significantly enhance the scope and relevance of the dataset, providing stakeholders with deeper insights and reinforcing the role of trade finance as a safe and essential financing tool for global commerce,” explained Samuel Mathews, Chair of the ICC Trade Register.
