2. About us
2.1 Atradius DSB
Atradius Dutch State Business (Atradius DSB) is the official export credit insurer of the Netherlands. Atradius DSB implements the export credit facility on behalf of and for the account and risk of the Dutch state. The export credit facility supports Dutch exporters of capital goods, internationally operating contractors, banks, and investors with their export transactions and activities abroad.
2.2 Mandate and policy
Several legal frameworks at the national, European, and international levels apply to Dutch export credit facility. Based on the “Framework Act on Financial Assistance from the Ministry of Finance,” the Dutch State, in addition to the private market, offers facilities that enable Dutch entrepreneurs and their financiers to hedge payment risks with the State.
The most important international agreements for public export financing are laid down in the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits, a gentlemen's agreement between participating countries for which the OECD acts as secretariat (hereinafter: the Arrangement). The Arrangement consists of various agreements on premiums, financing conditions, and sector agreements for areas such as climate and water, ships, and nuclear energy. The aim of the Arrangement is to achieve a level playing field between participating countries for export financing of more than two years.
Within the Arrangement, there is a Climate Change Sector Understanding (CCSU) under which countries can offer more favorable financial terms to projects that contribute significantly to climate mitigation or adaptation. The EU obliges Member States to comply with the Arrangement through European legislation. For all other government-supported insurance and guarantees that do not fall under the Arrangement, EU Member States are subject to EU state aid rules.
Atradius DSB assesses the financial risks, compliance risks, and risks to people, animals, and the environment associated with export transactions and investments abroad that are offered for insurance by Dutch businesses. The most important OECD recommendations are the Recommendation of the Council on Bribery for officially supported export credits and the Recommendation of the Council for Officially Supported Export Credits on Environmental and Social Due Diligence. These are both OECD recommendations that form the basis for Atradius DSB's anti-bribery policy and environmental and social assessment. The implementation of the Common Approaches is laid down in Dutch policy. Dutch policy also applies to short-term transactions (with financing up to two years) and cash transactions (without financing).
As of January 1, 2023, Atradius DSB no longer provides ECA support for the exploration and extraction, processing, storage, and transport of fossil fuels and unabated electricity generation using fossil fuels, with the exception of transactions that are in line with the 1.5-degree target. Transactions related to coal, oil and/or gas extraction through hydraulic fracturing (unconventional extraction of shale oil and shale gas) and tar sand extraction, as well as projects involving routine flaring, were already excluded from offical support. See the exclusion list.