Memberships in associations

ACCIS has set itself the task of bringing together the common interests of its members - European credit agencies with a focus on B2C - and representing them vis-à-vis third parties. The association was founded in Dublin in October 1990 and has been a non-profit international registered association under Belgian law since November 2006. The head office is located in Brussels, Avenue Louise 106.

he main functions of ACCIS are:

• To represent, promote, protect and preserve the common interests of its members, in particular with regard to international affairs and matters relating to the European Community.
• To represent and defend all matters relating directly or indirectly to the interests of its members vis-à-vis public authorities, the general public and third parties in general.
• To inform the members as well as to create a platform of mutual exchange.
• To represent the members worldwide, in particular through cooperation with the World Bank, the IFC and other institutions.

The Bankenfachverband is the association of credit banks in Germany. It represents the interests of its members vis-à-vis politics, banking supervision, consumer protection and the public. As a contact partner for financing, it takes a position on issues from legislation, jurisdiction, administration and the economy.

The association informs about the development of the credit banks' business and the overall markets. In this way, it underlines the importance of financing consumption and investment for the economy.

The association offers its members compact business-relevant information and practical implementation aids for laws. It provides them with exclusive market key figures and enables an exchange with industry representatives.

The BvCM is the federal association of credit managers in Germany. It represents the interests of its members and is available as a competent advisor for politics, society and business in the field of credit management.

The association pursues the goal of highlighting the importance and benefits of credit management for corporate success and developing the profession into a natural part of the German economy. To this end, the association has developed several qualification measures in cooperation with universities, professional associations and professionals from the field:
Certified Credit Manager (CCM®)
Certified Credit Controller (CCC®)

With its affiliation to the Federation of European Credit Management Association (FECMA), the BvCM offers its members the exchange of information and experience in an international network.

As partners of the business community, the member companies of the Bundesverband Deutscher Inkasso-Unternehmen e.V. (BDIU) realise payment-disturbed receivables in out-of-court debt collection. They offer their clients comprehensive advisory services to ensure continued positive business contact with the respective debtor. As experienced service providers in receivables management, they help companies to secure their liquidity and thus to survive in competition.

The BDIU has been representing the interests of the debt collection industry vis-à-vis the public and politicians since 1956. In the Bundesverband Deutscher Inkasso-Unternehmen e.V. (BDIU), the majority of actively operating debt collection service providers are organised, which meet the strict requirements of the BDIU for conscientious, proper and honest professional practice. Today, 560 companies belong to the association. They represent the interests of more than 500,000 creditors from all sectors of the economy. In total, BDIU member companies return around 5 billion euros of money to the economic cycle every year. In out-of-court debt collection, they resolve around 80 per cent of the debts they are commissioned to collect and thus make a considerable contribution to relieving the burden on the judiciary.

The BDIU is the biggest association of receivables management service providers in Europe and the second biggest worldwide. Through its membership in the European umbrella organisation FENCA and its cooperation with the US partner association ACA International, the BDIU members are integrated in a worldwide network of several thousand companies in the industry.

The Bundesverband Deutscher Leasing-Unternehmen (BDL), based in Berlin, represents the interests of the German leasing industry, which currently generates an annual investment volume of 48.54 billion euros.

A good half (53 percent) of all externally financed investments and 21.7 percent of overall economic investments in equipment are realised through leasing. In its 50-year success story, leasing has thus become the No. 1 investment alternative and is widespread in all branches of the economy - but especially among small and medium-sized enterprises.

Around 200 leasing companies - from medium-sized companies to international leasing groups - have joined forces in the BDL to promote the interests of leasing in dialogue with legislators, the administration and interested members of the public. With a market share of its members of over 90 percent, the BDL is the central contact for all questions concerning leasing and its market.

The Bundesverband Deutscher Versandapotheken (BVDVA) represents the interests of and provides services to authorised German mail order pharmacies. It protects their professional, economic and political interests. As a free self-organisation, it works at state and federal level and regularly represents the interests of its members in the hearings of the German Bundestag. As an association, it is committed to a high quality of pharmaceutical care in the mail-order pharmaceutical trade. For the members of the BVDVA, the focus is on the best possible pharmaceutical advice and care for patients.

The association also promotes the exchange of knowledge and opinions between its members and regularly informs them about current developments in the industry and politics. Founded in 2004, the BVDVA represents the broad spectrum of mail-order pharmacies in Germany.

Currently, around 35 companies form a community of interest within the BVDVA. In addition to the classic mail-order pharmacies, there are also specialist providers who have specialised in the just-in-time distribution of medicines requiring refrigeration. In addition, there are companies from the logistics and e-commerce sectors as well as other service providers from the health sector.

The Bundesverband für Inkasso und Forderungsmanagement e.V. (BFIF e.V.) was founded in April 2010. The aim of the association is to unite persons and companies who are commercially active in the fields of debt collection and receivables management and persons who are very close to the field of debt collection in their professional activities, such as judges, lawyers, judicial officers and bailiffs.

The topics of the BFIF at a glance:

• The BFIF represents the professional interests and concerns of its members vis-à-vis the public, the economy, federal and state authorities, courts, associations and third parties.
• An essential concern of the association is the exchange of information and experience among each other, the promotion of continuing professional development, as well as the counselling and support of founders of new businesses.
• Applications for registration and licensing with the competent registration authorities are made with the cooperation and expert opinion of the association.
• Legislation and administration of justice are promoted in the interest of the members of the association.
• One of the association's main concerns is combating abuses in the field of legal advice/legal services and unfair competition.
• The association is organised on a voluntary basis and does not seek to make a profit.

The BFM Bundesverband Factoring für den Mittelstand e. V. was founded in 2001 and is based in Berlin. BFM members benefit from the background information and the open, collegial exchange within the association. We provide expert knowledge on specific issues, such as financial supervision or current problems in case law. The association offers further services within the framework of professional events and further training as well as exclusive offers on refinancing lines.

The BFM is the central lobby group for small and medium-sized factoring companies in Germany. The association is committed to the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially the procurement of liquidity independent of banks.

The aim of the association's work is to inform about the financing model of factoring, to promote its use and to help shape the best possible framework conditions around the topic of factoring. Companies looking for a suitable factoring company or with questions about the sale of receivables will find competent contacts at the BFM.

DDV is the largest national association of dialogue marketers in Europe and one of the leading associations of the communications industry in Germany. The members represent the value chain of dialogue marketing: agencies, address and information service providers, telemedia and call centre and direct mail service providers as well as advertising companies. DDV thus represents the breadth of the industry.

With its capital city office, DDV is represented exactly where German politics is made. From Berlin, it accompanies all projects that could have an influence on the dialogue marketing industry as a contact for ministries and parliamentary groups. As a member of the European umbrella organisation FEDMA, the association is also in demand on the important European stage for relevant directive projects as a competent contact for the EU Commission.

DDV and its members promote and improve the freedom of communication. They shape the responsible dialogue between people, companies and politics. DDV lobbies intensively in Berlin and Brussels for the possibilities of shaping and using dialogue marketing in all its diversity.

The Die Wirtschaftsauskunfteien e.V. (formerly VdH) represents the interests of the major commercial credit agencies. The purpose of the association is to pool the interests of commercial credit agencies through a voluntary association of companies and business associations active in this industry and to promote them through a common objective. The association represents the interests of its members by taking a stand vis-à-vis the supervisory authorities of the federal states, the ministries and political decision-makers on the issues that are of essential importance for the members' activities. This is done, for example, through the preparation of position papers or in the context of personal discussions. Another major concern of the association is to set quality standards for the sector. This applies above all to the area of data protection, which has a particularly high priority for the credit agencies.

The ECC Club offers decision-makers in retail and the retail environment exclusive networking for e-commerce and cross-channel as well as valuable industry insights. Members receive access to current insights and studies as well as tickets to exclusive industry events. Three different membership formats - Classic, Premium and Platinum - offer the right service package for every company.

Favoured by the opening of markets in Europe and overseas, global business became more and more important and grew steadily. In this context, companies increasingly saw a need for business information, especially to be able to conduct cross-border business activities securely.

Against this background, leading European credit agencies founded the Federation of Business Information Services FEBIS (initially known as FECRO) in 1973, with headquarters in Frankfurt. FEBIS has since grown into a worldwide organisation with more than 60 members and is instrumental in providing business information and debt collection services of national and international importance.

With the help of more than 20,000 employees, FEBIS members provide over 180 million pieces of business information on 500,000 European companies. FEBIS members thus provide their customers with an invaluable service to support business decisions. The total turnover of all FEBIS members is over €2.5 billion.

As a global association, FEBIS always strives to work in the best interests of its members. FEBIS monitors new legislation in the field of data protection and insolvency law, and is equally diligent in its monitoring and use of public sources and freely available information.

The International Masters of Gaming Law is a non-profit association of gaming attorneys, regulators, educators, executives and consultants from around the world who are dedicated to education and the exchange of professional information and advice. The open networking and collective experience of its members makes the IMGL an integral and effective tool for the dissemination of gaming law developments worldwide. IMGL members practice independently and not in a relationship for the joint practice of law.

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The Malta Remote Gaming Council, was launched in 2005, with the intention of providing a discussion forum for all stake holders.

MRGC Council is made up of all stakeholders in the remote gaming industry including licensed operators, data carriers, Internet service providers, lawyers and professional services providers.

The Council’s main objective is to serve as an ongoing discussion forum giving valuable feedback to the Authority to be able to keep abreast with the latest developments in the industry.

With a vision to make commerce everywhere safe and profitable, the Merchant Risk Council is the world's leading trade association for fraud detection and payment in eCommerce.

The VATM includes the largest German telecommunications companies, a total of around 120 network operators, service providers and suppliers who also offer regional services. The VATM member companies supply 80 per cent of all fixed network customers and almost all mobile customers outside of Telekom. Since the opening of the market in 1998, the competitors in the fixed-network and mobile telephony sector have made investments amounting to around 74 billion euros. They also invest the most in the future-proof fibre-optic expansion directly into the homes. 90 percent of the connected customers use the gigabit-capable networks of the competitors.