The Benefits

If your company is active in industry activities (factoring, invoice finance, commercial finance, secured lending, asset based finance…) it can apply for a status as Shareholder of IFG. This status gives full access to all IFG activities, both in the field of the two-factor platform and in the field of the Trade Association activities, benefiting from following advantages:

• As Export Factor your company has access to the Import Factoring services of the strongest players in the industry in more than 50 countries, offering you (and your export clients):
• Up to 100 % protection against credit risks
• Local collection services through member companies based in the same country as the debtors : differences in language, time zones and legal environment are no longer an issue
• Being able to safely offer open account terms in their export markets improves your client’s competitiveness

• As Import Factor your company offers its services to a network of the best factoring companies in the world. If your company can offer factoring services to domestic clients, it can almost without additional investments offer the same services to its correspondents of IFG worldwide. Each Import Factor publishes every year its standard fees for standard business but can of course negotiate deals individually with the Export Factor. By becoming an Import Factor you will receive additional business and income without big marketing efforts!

• FG has more than 40 years of experience in 2-Factor activities and as a Shareholder you will have immediate access to IFexchange, the secured web-based IT-platform that Import and Export Factors use to send and receive transactions and messages when doing business with each other. The use of this platform is entirely free (as from 1st of January 2008), no matter how many transactions you send or receive.

• The Two-Factor activity is regulated through the “General Rules of International Factoring” as well as through other standard documentation developed by the members over the years in order to create a perfectly safe legal environment.

• Every year IFG organizes a Service Quality Program through which members evaluate each other’s services. This leads to a continuous improvement of the services offered within the group and has of course very positive marketing effects for the companies that win the yearly award of best Import or Export Factor Service.

• When your company joins the IFG, it will receive all the support it takes to set up its activities in the 2-Factor environment. You can at a very low cost benefit from a tailor-made training for your staff that is involved in international factoring operations.

• In order to monitor and improve permanently the 2-Factor environment, IFG can count on the input from its Legal Committee and its IT-Committee. These committees assist members if they have questions in the operational area, organize regularly trainings and publish Frequently Asked Questions on the private part of the IFG website.

• IFG 2-Factor system doesn’t only support the classical full factoring services but as an open-minded organization also supports direct export activities through special products such as Hot and Cold Back-Up Factoring, which is interesting for bigger Invoice Discounters or for Companies and Banks who are active in Securitization.

• Being a member of IFG is of course also an important quality label for your Domestic and International Operations.

• As a Shareholder you have full access to all Trade Association activities in the areas of education and events and industry information.

• IFG organizes each year a series of networking and learning events. The most important event is the Annual Meeting where members discuss the evolution of their industry and the association during 3 days. All members can discuss and vote on a one-member one-vote principle for all items related to the Trade Association activity. The result of this voting session is submitted for approval to the annual assembly of shareholders.

• Shorter seminars are organized to bring together the General Managers, the Sales Managers and the International Managers.

• Specific theme seminars are organized in the areas of 2-Factor Operations and Risk Management.

• As a Global Trade Association, defending the industry’s interests, the IF-Group has also developed in close co-operation with some of the finest industry experts a Foundation Course on factoring and International Factoring that gives a comprehensive overview on all important aspects of Factoring and Commercial Finance. This course is also organized on a regional level through the work of the Chapters.

• Through its strategic alliance with the UK Industry organization, the ABFA, IFG members have also access to the e-learning Foundation Course developed by this organization.

• As a member, you will benefit greatly from the networking environment with other members and also with the top Service Providers to our industry. IFG being an open-minded Trade Association, participation to our events and seminars is of course never an obligation.

• Members have free access to the Private Part of the IFG-website containing a complete contact information on the members with names and contact details for senior and middle management as well as vital information on market specifics e.g. legal framework and statistics in the members’ countries.
  
  
• Members are invited to publish articles of special interest to the other members and company news in our ewsletters and on the website.
  
  
• As a shareholder your company can designate candidates for membership of IFG’s board and of the different technical and strategic committees in order to play an active role in the further development of the Group and the Industry.

Shares

Shareholders buy 10, 20 or 30 shares of the International Factors Group SCRL at 50,00 € per share. The shares give voting rights at the annual meeting of shareholders which is the highest decision-making organ in the IF-Group (see Legal Structure). The shares are reimbursed according to the IFG Articles of Association when your company ends its membership status.

The board decides upon the criteria for the allocation of the number of shares. Today these criteria are as follows:

Members belonging to the same group (*) combined can have a maximum of 15% of the total shares of the IF-Group.

(*) Members belong to the same group under following circumstances: members that have one common shareholder who owns 50 % or more of their capital / members who own minimum 50 % of another member / member companies that are owned for minimum 50 % by another member
 
Membership fee

Today’s annual membership fees for shareholders are as follows:

There is NO entrance fee when your company joins IFG.

For companies starting their international activities, special conditions can be granted during the first two years of membership. Please contact the Secretary General, Erik Timmermans at e.timmermans@ifgroup.com for more details.

Membership application

The International Factors Group is an open association and welcomes members across the world. In order to maintain our high standards of reputation and service quality, there are certain minimum requirements for joining the IFG and new applicants have to be approved by the Group’s Board of Directors. The process is very straightforward and doesn’t take much time.

If your company wants to apply for membership, please download and fill out this membership application form for shareholder and send it by email to e.timmermans@ifgroup.com or by fax on +32/2.772.64.19.

Your application should be accompanied by:

For all additional information on your membership application, please contact Erik Timmermans: e.timmermans@ifgroup.com or by phone on +32/2.775.82.70