Interview at the Journées de l’AFTE 2025 – AFTE Studio
Transcript
Journalist: Hello everyone, today we are joined at the AFTE Studio by Thibaut Robet. Thibaut, you are Co-founder and Managing Director of Fibus. Welcome. Let me start with a first question. We keep hearing the terms receivables financing and credit insurance throughout the event. Why have receivables financing and credit insurance become so essential today?
Thibaut Robet: There are two reasons for that. Starting with credit insurance: credit insurance has become essential, particularly in France today, where corporate insolvencies have exceeded 69,000 cases. Credit insurance acts as a GPS for companies. A growing business needs to identify which customers it can safely trade with and which ones it should avoid. It also needs protection against the insolvency of its own customers. In the current environment, credit insurance has become indispensable. Then there is receivables financing, which remains a key growth financing tool. It is the most effective way for a company to strengthen its liquidity position and secure sufficient resources to finance growth without relying too heavily on traditional bank facilities. Today, receivables financing is the most stable way to fund a growing business.
Journalist: Perfect, thank you very much. Several brokers are present at the AFTE conference this year. What differentiates the Fibus offering?
T.R.: I would start by highlighting our ability to operate internationally – 50% of our business is international. We are a French company with half of our activity generated in our domestic market and the other half supporting companies established outside France, primarily across Europe. We are the only French and European player combining expertise in receivables financing, credit insurance, and digital solutions designed to help companies fully integrate these tools into their organisation. So we are not simply a broker; we are also an implementation and integration partner for receivables financing and credit insurance. We have developed a software solution called ARi Trade, which enables companies to optimise and improve their use of both receivables financing and credit insurance.
Journalist: Excellent. One final question: do you target all types of businesses, or a particular segment?
T.R.: Our clients are primarily French and European mid-sized companies, many of which are focused on international expansion. A significant proportion are also portfolio companies owned by investment funds and private equity firms.
Journalist: Perfect, thank you very much, and thank you to Fibus for being a partner of the Journées de l’AFTE 2025.