Interview with Thibaut Robet by BFM Business
Interview transcript
Éléonore Boccara: Hello and welcome to Focus Entreprises. With me today is Thibaut Robet, co-founder of Fibus, a brokerage firm and digital solutions provider in factoring and credit insurance.
Thibaut Robet: Hello Éléonore.
E.B.: In this program, we’re going to talk about factoring, a concept that is sometimes not well known but very useful, especially for B2B companies. Can you remind us what it is?
T.R.: Factoring is a financing technique that allows companies to offset the payment terms they grant to their customers.
E.B.: Which is generally 60 days.
T.R.: Around 60 days, yes. In B2B, you constantly have about two months of revenue outstanding. Imagine always having two months of your salary unpaid by your employer. Factoring compensates for this and gives companies more flexibility and cash-flow stability.
E.B.: That certainly helps to breathe and avoid having a sword of Damocles hanging over your head. With your partner Gaëtan du Halgouët, you created Chateaudun Crédit in 2006, which later became Fibus in 2022 as part of your international expansion. What is your mission? You have three activities, I believe.
T.R.: Yes, we have three activities. The first is Fibus Factoring, which is advisory work in factoring: we help companies set up factoring in the best possible way. Then there is Fibus Trade, which helps cover customer risk, meaning we help companies find an insurance provider to protect them against customer default. And finally, Fibus Digital, which provides tools to orchestrate all of this and ensure smooth communication and integration between service providers—factoring companies and credit insurers.
E.B.: What is your added value compared to a bank?
T.R.: The bank provides the financing. We help the company choose the solution to implement and select the banking partner that will finance it.
E.B.: So you are complementary?
T.R.: Exactly. We help companies structure their relationship with the factoring provider.
E.B.: What are the advantages of factoring?
T.R.: I would highlight two main ones. The first is resilience. Factoring is a financing solution that withstands crises, whether they are internal to the company or linked to broader economic conditions like the ones we are currently experiencing.
E.B.: It is particularly relevant in a period like today, where there is a lot of uncertainty and limited visibility. It helps companies adapt to these situations.
T.R.: Exactly. And the second advantage is its cost, which is not negligible: it is actually one of the cheapest cash-flow financing solutions available to companies today, which is not widely known in the market.
E.B.: Good to know.
T.R.: Very good to know.
E.B.: And who is it for?
T.R.: It is for growth-oriented companies, especially those with international exposure. In France, one in two mid-sized companies uses factoring. It is becoming more widespread, especially thanks to digitalization.
E.B.: Let’s talk about your latest software solution, ARI Trade.
T.R.: It is our software that allows companies to automate their interactions with factoring companies and credit insurers, minimizing the time spent managing factoring programs.
E.B.: Your clients account for nearly 10% of factoring in France, representing €41 billion in flows through Fibus in 2022. What are the next steps?
T.R.: The next step is to support even more companies in adopting factoring, particularly by developing new digital solutions to improve communication with factoring companies and credit insurers. The other major step is continued international expansion, especially in the UK and Germany.
E.B.: You have great projects and strong prospects ahead. Thank you, Thibaut Robet, for joining us on Focus Entreprises.
T.R.: Thank you, Éléonore!
Source: BFM Business interview