The Real Challenge in Trade Credit Insurance’s Digital Transformation Isn’t Technology. It's Change.

Why Now?

Not long ago, I had a conversation with a leader of a prominent export credit agency. She told me, half-joking, that the oldest thing in her team is their core platform. The system worked, she insisted, until it didn’t. When regulators introduced a new data format, it took three months to update. When her team onboarded a fintech partner, integration took nine.

That moment struck me. Because while we often talk about digital transformation in trade credit as a technology journey, the truth is: it’s a change management challenge dressed in digital clothes.

As we move deeper into 2025, trade credit insurers, ECAs, and specialty carriers stand at a digital crossroads. AI, automation, and no-code tools are now table stakes. But the real test is whether we’re ready to evolve the way we operate - as leaders, as teams, and as an industry.

The Market Is Moving (With or Without Us)

The global trade credit insurance (TCI) market was valued at around $13.7 billion in 2024, projected to reach $25.3 billion by 2033, growing at a 6.7% CAGR (IMARC Group). This expansion is fueled by a surge in global trade, rising insolvency risks, and an increasingly digital buyer experience.

According to Allianz Global Insolvency Outlook, insolvencies are projected to rise 11% in 2024 and a further 6% in 2025, returning the market to pre-COVID pressure levels. Meanwhile, the sector continues to be shaped by regulatory changes, like IFRS 17 and ESG-linked disclosures, and an acute shortage of digital and underwriting talent. As Capgemini Insurance Top Trends 2025 confirms, brokers now demand embedded analytics and real-time quote visibility, or they’ll walk.

And the data backs it up: nearly 70% of insurers say their current legacy systems are their biggest tech bottleneck (Life Insurance International).

Three Forces Driving True Transformation

At Tinubu Credit, we’ve worked with carriers on all five continents, across 30+ countries, with over 1,000 unique underwriters and 6,000+ brokers or corporates engaging monthly with our platform. That scale gives us clarity. We see three forces consistently driving real transformation:

1. AI as an efficiency multiplier

Artificial intelligence is no longer theory. Our clients are using AI to streamline pricing, automate coverage decisions, identify fraudulent behavior, and reduce cycle time on claims. The goal? Do more with less, faster.

2. The rise of modular, flexible infrastructure

We’re moving from monolithic platforms to composable ecosystems. Carriers want tools that work together: core systems, APIs, decision engines, onboarding workflows. Our acquisition of Innoveo, a no-code platform, was built around that premise. Agility is the new compliance.

3. Talent is the new technology

Digital tools aren’t just for efficiency. They’re key to retention. The new generation of underwriters was raised with iPhones in hand. They expect modern solutions - not outdated manual processes. If your platform UX feels like 2011, your top recruits will be gone by 2026.

Where Transformation Gets Stuck

Despite the momentum, many incumbents still struggle. The biggest obstacle? Change management.

As I said in my recent interview with Trade Finance Global: “It’s not just about adopting a technology. It’s about evolving your process. And that’s hard.”

Transformation requires shifting roles, reframing success metrics, and retraining teams. It demands board-level sponsorship and middle-management buy-in. And it requires proving, not promising, that it will work.

That’s why we lead with proof:

• We operate in real markets, not pilots.
• Our reference clients cover every insurance model: private, public, hybrid.
• We share data. We show results.

Personas in Play: What Each Stakeholder Needs

Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO)

CUOs face mounting pressure to drive underwriting productivity while reducing loss ratios. They need advanced analytics to enhance risk segmentation, AI-driven decision support to reduce cognitive load, and interfaces that prioritize usability over complexity. Tinubu’s underwriting tools empower CUOs to balance risk and responsiveness without sacrificing controls.

Chief Operating Officer / Head of Transformation

These executives are the linchpins of change. What they need most is predictability: modular rollouts, cloud-onboarding flexibility, and full interoperability with third-party tools. Just as importantly, they need confidence that their transformation journey is de-risked, through shared governance, robust SLAs, and a proven roadmap.

Talent & HR Leads

The war for talent is being won or lost, on the ground. This persona needs to tell a compelling story to future recruits: “We’re not just an insurer. We’re a tech-enabled risk partner.” That means career progression tracks, on-platform training modules, and tools that support hybrid work and continuous learning. Tinubu provides a modern, intuitive environment where future-ready talent wants to work.

Compliance & Regulatory Leads

Today’s compliance teams need agility, not just documentation. They must meet obligations for solvency, data transparency, consent, and ESG. Tinubu’s systems support full auditability, with compliance-by-design frameworks, customizable reporting dashboards, and end-to-end traceability. Regulators don’t want more reports, they want real-time visibility.

The 2025+ Playbook

Digital maturity is not a destination, it’s a mindset. Here’s what we believe will define the most successful trade credit insurers in the next five years:

1. Composable architectures

Leading insurers will abandon one-size-fits-all platforms in favor of composable systems that allow them to adapt without disruption. APIs will stitch together best-of-breed solutions for credit scoring, KYC, compliance, and distribution. Composability = control + speed.

2. No-Code and Low-Code empowerment

Transformation doesn’t scale when IT is the bottleneck. No-code empowers underwriters, ops leads, and even compliance users to launch new workflows, test changes, and collaborate with product teams, all without writing a line of code. Governance tools ensure changes remain secure, consistent, and auditable.

3. AI that enhances, Not replaces

AI must augment judgment, not override it. Successful carriers will deploy AI to enhance underwriting insights, reduce fraud, and provide better early-warning signals. The real ROI is not just speed, it’s confidence. Tools like predictive insolvency modeling and automated limit assessments shift underwriters from firefighters to strategic partners.

4. Cloud-Native security by design

As insurers go global, security standards must scale. Cloud-native deployments with zero-trust architecture, active monitoring, and regulatory-grade compliance (e.g. GDPR, ISO 27001) are essential. Tinubu embeds this directly into every deployment, so you don’t have to choose between innovation and safety.

5. Global-Local adaptability

The days of static systems are over. Insurers need tools that flex to meet regional compliance (e.g. EU identity frameworks, APAC onboarding rules), while enabling centralized visibility. Local nuance, global control: that’s the new standard.

Conclusion

As we celebrate 25 years of Tinubu, we do so with humility and ambition. Our journey has always been about enabling the ecosystem: carriers, brokers, ECAs, reinsurers, clients.

With €45 million in new growth capital, backed by Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital, we’re doubling down on our promise: to be the global software leader for specialty insurance, and the transformation partner of choice for the trade credit world.

Because in the end, it’s not just about installing new tools. It’s about letting go of old habits.

And that kind of transformation? That starts with us.