industry information > communications > hot topics > The Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD)

 

The Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) is a government department which is charged with promoting UK exports. It does this by giving guarantees to banks, and insurance policies to exporters and investors in overseas projects. ECGD is no longer involved in the short term credit insurance sector.

In recent years ECGD's business has declined. We are concerned that it should not decline further and that it should provide a competitive service to British exporters and lenders.

By providing this document to our memberships we want to do two things:

• First to promote understanding of the range of products that ECGD has to offer, and to encourage its use by the British exporting community.
• Second to gather your views on ECGD's performance. These will be relayed to ECGD's management so that they can be invited to address any perceived shortcomings.
  

 

The means of gathering your views is the short questionnaire. It would be very helpful if you could spend the time to complete as soon as possible the questionnaire either manually (see attached document) or via the following link:

• export questionnaire

export questionnaire (105.0 KB)

ECGD's principal area of activity is to enable exporters to offer extended credit packages to their customers in support of the sale of capital goods.

ECGD can also insure the exporter against the risk of loss in connection with large cash contracts and their investments overseas.

Extended credit support is provided to the bank(s) working with the exporter. Support for cash contracts and overseas investments is provided to the exporter direct.

ECGD support can enable exporters and lenders to win business in markets which otherwise would be considered as too risky.

ECGD support allows British Exporters to compete with foreign rivals who are supported by their own export credit agencies.

For more detailed information on ECGD support please follow links below:

• support provided to the exporter direct
• support provided to banks working on behalf of exporters

• ECGD terms of business and other related issues

Contacting ECGD

If this brief summary has whetted your appetite you may wish to seek further information from ECGD themselves. Useful contact details are:

www.ecgd.gov.uk

help@ecgd.gsi.gov.uk

ECGD
PO Box 2200
2 Exchange Tower
Harbour Exchange Square
London
E14 9GS
020 7512 7887

The information provided in this questionnaire will be used by CBI, BEXA, SBAC and BBA to provide information to ECGD on ECGD's products and services. In doing so, it may be necessary to transfer this information to third party processors. In this event arrangements will be made to ensure that such information is protected. Your name, the name of your company and the information you provide will be treated in confidence. Individual responses will not be passed on to ECGD without your permission.

The name and company details provided on this form may also be used to send you other relevant information including invitations to events and details of relevant publications relating to ECGD's services. If, however, you do not wish to receive this information please indicate this when completing the questionnaire.