Anke Uebele, on Bondaval in the DACH region

Anke Uebele joined Bondaval in April 2026 as its new Head of Trade Credit, DACH. She tells us about why she joined, what the trade credit industry is missing, and how Bondaval is going to bring its solution to the DACH region.

Harriet: 
Lovely to have you with us, Anke. You've joined us as our Head of Trade Credit for the DACH region.

You've spent your career working for some of the most established players within Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. What was it that made you think, I'm going to leave that and come and work for Bondaval at this stage of the company?

Anke: 
To be honest, the people first. Tom, Ewa, Simon, and actually the whole team I had the chance to meet before I decided to move.

The setup was the second point. Bondaval is an insurtech MGA. After many years working with established players in Germany and Switzerland, I wanted to be part of something that actually moves, that has energy. Joining a startup at this stage is a different experience. 

And one more thing: I am passionate about credit management. Honestly, it is still not getting the attention it deserves. The industry is still running on Excel in many places — and that's not a criticism, it's just the reality we're living in. For Bondaval, that means a huge opportunity at the right time. 

Harriet: 
I completely agree. Credit management is such an opportunity, such an untapped market that we could be serving.

Anke: 
Absolutely.

Harriet: 
With you and with Christoph also in seat (our Head of Commercial Underwriting for the region) we now have, for the very first time, a Bondaval presence on the ground in the DACH region. What does that actually mean in practice?

Anke: 
I'm super happy to be part of the DACH team and I'm proud of it. For me, it means someone is here who speaks the language and knows the market. And I don't just mean speaking German — I mean the culture, the way things get done here, what brokers and clients actually need. Christoph and I are not here just to sell a product. We want to sit down with our brokers and with their clients and build strategic solutions together. Trust doesn't happen over video calls. You need to be there in person.

Harriet: 
Completely agree. It makes such a difference having that in-person relationship with people.

Anke: 
Absolutely. It's a key game changer. It's a big region, so we will have a lot of meetings and travel a lot, but it's worth it. We're really looking forward to it.

Harriet: 
With that in mind, how would you describe the trade credit insurance landscape in the DACH region today?

Anke: 
The market in the DACH region (and in Europe more broadly) is mature. From my experience, more and more companies are quietly walking away from traditional credit insurance, building their own solutions, or simply taking the risks themselves without any solution in place. 

I think the industry lost sight of something along the way. It kept talking about insurance, pricing and why losses were low, and forgot about the engine of the product: the credit management. If the engine doesn't run properly, everything else suffers. You have to strengthen that engine, and it matters more than ever in the current environment. Good credit management has a direct impact on growth, liquidity, cash flow, and control.

That gap is exactly where Bondaval fits in. Existing products are built around managing a policy. We want to implement a system built around solving the client's credit management challenges. Insurance and credit management working together in harmony, and that is the perfect match. That combination makes businesses stronger, faster, and more resilient. That is what we are here to offer.

Harriet: 
I couldn't agree more. There's so much more that insurers can offer. We have the data, we have the visibility, and there's a real opportunity for us to step into. For brokers who perhaps haven't worked with us yet, what would you want to say to them?

Anke: 
Just talk to us! Learn what we have to offer, understand the impact we can have on companies. Bring the cases to us:  clients who want to improve their credit management, the ones that are hard to place, the ones who have walked away from traditional credit insurance. We will show you what we can do across our product offering and our technical solutions. And you will be working with an experienced team.

Here is the thing: any insurer can bring capacity. We bring a complete credit management solution. We want to build this product together with our broker partners and their clients, because their feedback shapes what we build. And this is not something you hear every day in this industry — we genuinely want your feedback and we act on it. We will not grow without it. So please, test us, push us. I think it will be worth it.

Harriet: 
Let's fast forward a year. Bondaval has been operating in the DACH region. What does success look like?

Anke: 
We have clients onboarded, real solutions delivered together with our brokers, a strong pipeline, and a reputation as a serious credit management partner in DACH. In two years, I want our partners — brokers and clients alike — to say: I can't imagine running my credit management without Bondaval. Not because we sold them a solution, but because we built it with them. With Swiss Re behind us. That is my wish.

Harriet: 
It's a fantastic wish! Well, thank you very much, Anke. It's been great to talk to you, and I'm looking forward to seeing everything unfold.

Anke: 
Thank you. It was a pleasure. Thanks very much, Harriet.