Whether it involves comprehensive monitoring of its risks, assessing the financial health of a supplier or fuelling decisions on global investment projects, Enedis relies on Coface's information services. Luba Kotyk, Head of Financial Risk Control, explains the advantages of Coface data and what makes it unique: the combination of algorithmic data and human expertise.
"Coface offers data tailored to our needs"
Luba, why did Enedis choose Coface's information services?
Luba Kotyk: Coface offers data tailored to our needs and gives us the opportunity to get a 360° view of our risks: country, sector, score, credit opinion and finance. All this data in a single place, on the URBA360 platform, is time saving, as we don't have to go looking for the information we need on other platforms.
In addition, Coface offers global expertise in sector and country risk, which is highly relevant to us. In fact, even before we began our partnership with Coface a few months ago, Enedis was already relying on Coface's country risk assessments and economic publications for several years. These analyses are invaluable in feeding our decisions on international investment projects.
On top of this, we benefit from a strategic vision thanks to a peer analysis that enables us to better assess and understand the company's performance compared with its competitors, rather than relying solely on stand-alone financial data.
Coface data is unique because it combines algorithmic data and human expertise, with the data enriched by the risk underwriters and all of Coface's risk experts
From your perspective, what are the innovative aspects of Coface data?
L.K: The added value of Coface data lies in the fact that it is exactly the same that Coface's experts use for their own risk management as part of their credit insurance operations. For a client, therefore, Coface does not simply deliver purchased data: there is a real risk-sharing approach.
Furthermore, what makes Coface data unique is that it combines algorithmic data and human expertise, with the data enriched by the risk underwriters and all of Coface's risk experts. This is unique and allows us to benefit from the best of both worlds: artificial intelligence and human expertise!
"When decisions have to be made in a matter of seconds, URBA360 gives us access to data in (almost) real time"
Can you share an example of use case?
L.K: Enedis is a recent user of Coface's business information services, so we're still in the process of exploring the solutions offered. However, we are already convinced by the faster decision-making that your services generate. In a world where decisions have to be made in a matter of seconds, URBA360 gives us access to data in (almost) real time.
To give just one example, we needed to assess the financial health of a supplier with a view to its qualification and to give our opinion on the counterparty risk within a very short timescale (1 day). When the request came in, we had no data available on the company. Normally, this process takes us 1 week, from obtaining the financial statements, studying the shareholder base, carrying out an in-depth analysis of the company's financial health, calculating the rating, etc. We then have to prepare a report on the company's financial situation. Once we had the URBA information report, we were able to find out Coface's score and respond quickly to the request. Then, as a second step, we carried out our own analysis to gain a better understanding of the issues linked to this supplier.
In a world where decisions have to be made in a matter of seconds, URBA360 gives us access to data in (almost) real time.
Over the long-term, what are the key impacts you expect for your business?
L.K: The world of finance today is very different from that of twenty years ago... A few financial crises and omnipresent regulation went by! As a result, we constantly have to integrate new factors and learn new skills to keep up with the latest developments. In fact, we have to regularly update our analysis methods and adapt to current challenges. In this respect, social and environmental risk is becoming an increasingly important concern for investors. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria are the three pillars analysed by investors for their investment decisions when it comes to the extra-financial performance of companies. For our part, governance and shareholding are essential components of our analyses for each company assessment. Not forgetting environmental and social criteria, which we are now looking at with great interest!
About Enedis
Enedis, the electricity distribution company and electricity network operator, was founded on 1 January 2008 in the context of the opening up of the electricity market to competition in France. Enedis operates the largest electricity distribution network in Europe. As a company with a mission committed to the ecological transition, Enedis relies on 40,000 employees to build the new electrical France, by supporting uses aimed at greater energy sobriety.
You too can benefit from Coface's information services. Contact our local teams to get a demo.
