FCI annual review puts AI and resilience at centre of receivables finance

FCI has released its Annual Review 2026, placing artificial intelligence, digitalisation and market resilience at the centre of the global factoring and receivables finance agenda.

The publication was officially launched during FCI’s 58th Annual Meeting in Lisbon and reviews the organisation’s activities, industry developments and strategic priorities over the past year.

The review comes at a time when receivables finance providers are facing a more complex operating environment shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, changing trade flows, technology adoption and heightened fraud risk.

A key feature is an executive roundtable, “Horizon Spotting: Capitalizing on the AI Opportunity in Trade Finance”, moderated by Pamela Mar, managing director of the ICC Digital Standards Initiative. Contributors include Renchun Zeng of IFS Capital, Nergis Ayvaz Bumedian of QNB Türkiye and Sergio Mendieta of Santander Peru.

The discussion examines how AI could affect trade finance operations, risk management, customer experience and business models.

The publication also includes regional updates, legal and regulatory developments, promotion and awareness activity, industry challenges and outlooks for the year ahead. It also presents findings from the 2025 Global Industry Activity Report and the latest global factoring statistics.

Betül Kurtuluş, FCI deputy secretary general, said the receivables finance industry is navigating “a period of significant change” driven by AI, digitalisation, regulation and new market opportunities.

For the sector, the annual review reinforces how factoring is moving beyond traditional credit and collections models towards technology-enabled risk management, international connectivity and data-led decision-making.