Tinubu has published a new whitepaper by its CTO, Yvan Saule: From Legacy Burden to Digital Resilience: Modernizing Credit Insurance Operations in a Volatile World.

An industry at an inflection point

Credit insurers and export credit agencies (ECAs) are navigating an increasingly volatile landscape. Corporate bankruptcies are rising, geopolitical disruptions are shifting trade patterns, and the Berne Union's Business Confidence Index points to robust demand for short-term export credit insurance. Yet many of the institutions providing stability to trade are struggling with instability in their own operations. Legacy technology, siloed processes, and accumulated technical debt are holding them back at a time when agility matters most.

The real cost of legacy systems

The whitepaper goes beyond surface-level observations. It examines how outdated platforms, some built in the 1990s or early 2000s, quietly drain resources and amplify risk. Across the industry, up to 70% of IT budgets go toward maintaining legacy infrastructure. But the cost is not only financial:

• Operational rigidity: hard-coded systems make even simple product changes feel monumental, with delays that cost market relevance
• Governance gaps: fragmented data makes it nearly impossible to comply efficiently with frameworks like IFRS 17, DORA, or AML requirements
• Talent vulnerability: critical operational knowledge often lives with a handful of individuals, creating structural risk when they leave

Not just a technology problem

What sets this whitepaper apart is its focus on the human side of transformation. Yvan Saule argues that organizational friction, including skills shortages, cultural resistance, and departmental silos, can be just as damaging as technical debt. Real transformation requires bringing people along, not just upgrading platforms.

A pragmatic path forward

Rather than advocating for a "big bang" approach, the whitepaper lays out a phased modernization strategy built around five principles:

• Take the journey in phases, starting with quick wins
• Integrate first, replace later
• Automate the mundane to empower the strategic
• Win hearts, not just workflows
• Turn governance from a pain point into a competitive advantage

Real-world case studies illustrate the impact: one ECA cut application processing time from 15 days to under 10 minutes, while a specialty insurer doubled its premium base in three years after implementing a modern platform.

→ Download the whitepaper