The Prague Club

The Berne Union is the leading association for export credit and investment insurance worldwide
The Berne Union Prague Club is an information exchange network for new and maturing insurers of export credit and investment.

Objectives

The Prague Club supports members in developing their export credit and investment insurance schemes and facilities.

It provides this support by hosting technical discussions at twice-yearly meetings, as well as by facilitating ad-hoc information exchanges.

History

The Prague Club was started in 1993 by the Berne Union with funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The group was named after the city where its inaugural meeting was held, carrying in the tradition begun by the Berne Union.

Prague Club members were initially Central and Eastern European agencies; membership later expanded to include members from Asia and Africa.

The Prague Club today

The Prague Club is a growing entity, with 33 members from across the globe.

The business volumes of its members has decreased by 8% to $22.2 billion at the end of 2009. Premium income reached $167 million in 2009, up from $161 million in 2008, as claims paid by members increased from $50 million to $186 million.

A number of Prague Club members have gone on to meet the requirements for full Berne Union membership, but remain active members of the Prague Club.

These are:

  • ECIC SA, South Africa
  • EGAP, Czech Republic
  • EXIMBANKA SR, Slovak Republic
  • ICIEC, Multilateral
  • KUKE, Poland
  • MEHIB, Hungary
  • SID, Slovenia
  • THAI EXIMBANK, Thailand

The Prague Club and the Berne Union

The Prague Club and Berne Union have close links and share the same team at the Secretariat.

Representatives from the Berne Union are invited to Prague Club meetings as speakers and they also conduct workshops and seminars.