An active platform in the EU

• FCI’s Registered Office is

  Keizersgracht 559
  1017 DR Amsterdam
  The Netherlands
  Tel: +31-20-6270306
  Fax: +31-20-6257628
  Email: fci(@)fci.nl
  Website: www.fci.nl

• EUF operations are delivered from the FCI's Brussels Office at

  4, Rue François Vander Elst
  1950 Kraainem
  Belgium
  Email: info(@)euf.eu.com

• 52.366,4.88681

  FCI’s Registered Office

  Keizersgracht 559
  1017 DR Amsterdam
  The Netherlands

• 50.8389,4.46764

  FCI's Brussels Office

  4, Rue François Vander Elst
  1950 Kraainem
  Belgium

Mission of the EUF

To act as a platform

The EU Federation acts as a platform for its members to inform  the key legislative decision makers of the activities of the EU-based factoring and commercial finance industry and the finance opportunities they provide.

One voice

Representatives of the factoring industry will be able to speak with one voice, and members will be provided with an in depth knowledge of the different regulatory outlooks relating to the factoring industry across the EU.

To engage in a debate with main regulators

The EU Federation provides legislators and policy makers with vital information from the industry which informs and influences the regulatory change agenda.

Objectives of the EUF

• To represent the Industry with EU policy makers and to promote harmonization in the EU legal, fiscal and regulatory environment
• To promote an understanding of the benefits of factoring, receivables financing and ABL as an appropriate and flexible form of growth finance for companies
• To gather information and publish papers and statistics on industry related subjects
• To observe legal and EU Policy initiatives affecting the Industry and to lobby in favour of policy decisions that can support the growth and effectiveness of the Industry or lobby against initiatives that would create barriers for the Industry’s growth or negatively influence the provision of this effective and efficient form of finance for business
• To encourage the establishment of factoring and commercial finance activities in all EU countries

• To represent the Industry with EU policy makers and to promote harmonization in the EU legal, fiscal and regulatory environment
• To promote an understanding of the benefits of factoring, receivables financing and ABL as an appropriate and flexible form of growth finance for companies
• To gather information and publish papers and statistics on industry related subjects
• To observe legal and EU Policy initiatives affecting the Industry and to lobby in favour of policy decisions that can support the growth and effectiveness of the Industry or lobby against initiatives that would create barriers for the Industry’s growth or negatively influence the provision of this effective and efficient form of finance for business
• To encourage the establishment of factoring and commercial finance activities in all EU countries

The EUF has produced a brochure which is designed to communicate our mission and goals. It provides information on who is involved and data on the Industry and products.

A copy of the EUF Brochure can be downloaded from here:  

The Factoring and Commercial Finance Industry offers a wide range of products and services, which are extensively used by European firms to make their business grow.

Although the core of the service is still the same and is very simple (a complementary source of finance based upon the assignment of receivables or other assets held by the businesses), among the EU Countries the products offered have developed in different ways, following the different economic and productive structures as well as the legal environments present in each Country. The EU Federation for the Factoring and Commercial Finance Industry, as the representative body of the industry in the European Union, wishes to contribute to the establishment of a standard terminology concerning commonly used terms, with the aim of improving communication and knowledge about the Industry across Europe.

Therefore, after long and interesting rounds of discussions between its members, the Economics and Statistics Committee of the EUF drafted the EUF Glossary on Factoring and Commercial Finance, with the aim to provide the reader with a general taxonomy of the most common products and services offered, but also of the terms associated, in the EU factoring markets. Later the translation of the Glossary was made into different languages with the help of National Associations, members of EUF.

Such a glossary does not claim to be complete and exhaustive, but it will definitely be useful for a number of subject involved with the factoring and commercial finance industry: the EU bodies that are responsible of issuing the regulation concerning the industry will be happy to have an explanation of some specific terms that they may encounter while discussing the issues; the businesses will find in it a helpful tool to orient themselves through products and services that still remain unfamiliar for many of them (although EU firms are increasing their use of factoring at a fast pace) and, at the end of the day, the factors themselves will benefit from it in different ways, i.e. by disposing of a common tool to refer their own languages and by simplifying communication with their actual and prospect clients, also from an international point of view.

The reader will note that although most of products and services can be classified in the categories listed in this glossary, they may still slightly differ from Country to Country, due to the different economic and legal contexts which affect businesses needs and the demand for factoring and commercial finance services. In future, the ESC will continue monitoring the industry and the markets in order to update and adjust the glossary when needed, with the final objective to pursue, as far as possible, the establishment of a standard terminology for the factoring and commercial finance market across the EU.

An On-line Translator is available.

Please see below the list of abbreviations and acronyms in common use within EUF areas of interest: