{"id":10159,"date":"2025-09-18T05:13:58","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T05:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/?p=10159"},"modified":"2025-09-18T05:14:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T05:14:03","slug":"voi-podcast-with-sarah-murrow-from-allianz-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/content\/voi-podcast-with-sarah-murrow-from-allianz-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Trade credit\u2019s US growth story \u2013 Allianz Trade\u2019s Murrow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><iframe title=\"Ep268 Sarah Murrow CEO Allianz Trade Americas: Insuring one of your client's biggest assets\" allowtransparency=\"true\" height=\"150\" width=\"100%\" style=\"border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;\" scrolling=\"no\" data-name=\"pb-iframe-player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/player-v2\/?from=embed&amp;i=63rkx-1963b19-pb&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;fonts=Tahoma&amp;skin=3267a3&amp;font-color=auto&amp;rtl=0&amp;logo_link=episode_page&amp;btn-skin=1b1b1b&amp;size=150\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Technology and education are key to unlocking trade credit insurance\u2019s further expansion, according to Allianz Trade Americas\u2019 Sarah Murrow<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trade credit insurance is one of the most embedded but least understood corners of the commercial insurance world, Sarah Murrow, President and CEO of Allianz Trade Americas, told the <em>Voice of Insurance.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Murrow told the podcast that raising awareness about trade credit in the US market is her top priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She has spent 21 years with Allianz Trade in roles across the US, Europe and Latin America, including time in London and Paris, before recently returning to the US to lead the insurer\u2019s Americas business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI started right out of university with Allianz Trade in Baltimore,\u201d she said. \u201cIt definitely feels like I\u2019ve had more than one employer because I\u2019ve worked in three different countries and in a wide variety of roles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At its core, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/lines-of-business\/trade-credit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trade credit insurance<\/a> is quite simple, Murrow explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen a business sells to another business on credit terms, a receivable is created,\u201d she said. \u201cWe underwrite the risk of that customer not paying. If they don\u2019t pay, we indemnify the supplier and then pursue collections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Risk mitigation and growth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Businesses often view trade credit as a discretionary spend rather than a necessity, Murrow acknowledged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She stressed that it should be seen as a more critical protection, given its centrality to the day-to-day operating of a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAccounts receivable is often the largest or second largest asset on a company\u2019s balance sheet, yet frequently the only one not insured,\u201d she emphasised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clients buy cover for several reasons. Risk mitigation is a leading factor, she said, particularly for small firms with thin margins or customer concentration \u2013 but this perspective can sell the product short of its potential value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCredit insurance is also a growth tool,\u201d said Murrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt allows companies to sell into new countries or new customers immediately on credit terms, which they otherwise might not feel able to do. It also supports financing, because banks often require receivables to be insured before lending against them,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The product can even function as outsourced credit management, she added, particularly for firms with thousands of counterparties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Allianz Trade\u2019s database tracks more than 90 million companies worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe real value is in the monitoring of those customers\u2019 credit over time,\u201d Murrow added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Economic headwinds<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Murrow described the broad economic outlook as \u201cunder pressure\u201d. Allianz forecasts sluggish global growth of 2.5% in 2025, with insolvencies expected to rise 6% globally this year and 3% next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn the US, insolvencies are forecast to increase 11% this year and 6% next year,\u201d she said, citing higher interest rates, tighter financing and uneven consumer demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sector-wise, Allianz Trade is closely watching automotive and construction as businesses facing tough market conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe shift to electric vehicles creates risks around supply chains, raw materials and consumer confidence\u2026Construction is always challenging from a credit perspective, and higher rates and material costs are still weighing on demand,\u201d said Murrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The US remains the world\u2019s biggest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/content\/why-managing-trade-credit-risk-is-now-more-important-than-ever\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/content\/why-managing-trade-credit-risk-is-now-more-important-than-ever\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">growth opportunity for trade credit<\/a>, she suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIronically, the US is probably the most mature economy with the lowest penetration of credit insurance. It\u2019s very much a growth market for us, but the challenge is education,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s simply a lack of awareness of what the product can do,\u201d Murrow added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tech and human touch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daily interaction with clients is central to the line of business, she stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUnlike most insurance, our policies are living, breathing things. \u201cCustomers request credit limits, add new buyers, and receive updates from us on changes to counterparties almost every day,\u201d Murrow said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Technology underpins service, she explained, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/content\/voi-podcast-with-jonathan-spry-ceo-of-envelop-risk\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/content\/voi-podcast-with-jonathan-spry-ceo-of-envelop-risk\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">use of artificial intelligence (AI)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAutomation and AI help us process vast amounts of data and detect early warning signals. That frees our credit analysts to spend more time with clients, which is what they really value,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AI will remain a tool, not a decision-maker. \u201cIt can help us make smarter decisions, but it will never replace the human brain,\u201d Murrow continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brokers are expected to remain crucial to distribution, she observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of advice and consultation in administering the product, and that\u2019s hard to replicate digitally,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCredit insurance is not just about protecting a business; it\u2019s about enabling it to grow. It\u2019s a strategic business tool, and one that deserves much greater awareness in the US market,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Technology and education are key to unlocking trade credit insurance\u2019s further expansion, according to Allianz Trade Americas\u2019 Sarah Murrow Trade credit insurance is one of the most embedded but least understood corners of the commercial insurance world, Sarah Murrow, President and CEO of Allianz Trade Americas, told the Voice of Insurance. Murrow told the podcast [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,26],"tags":[10,14,38],"line-of-business":[32],"class_list":["post-10159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcasts","category-latest-insights","tag-exposure","tag-underwriting-workbench","tag-technical-vision","line-of-business-trade-credit"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10159\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10159"},{"taxonomy":"line-of-business","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advantagego.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/line-of-business?post=10159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}