From agri-food to aerospace: helping companies grow in the Americas with Excess of Loss insurance

The Americas offers growth opportunities amid global trade uncertainty

The Americas region is showing resilience across sectors, although none are immune to global trade tensions. On the one hand, there are plenty of opportunities, especially in AI infrastructure, energy, aerospace, minerals, agriculture and consumer goods. But on the other, supply chain strategy is becoming more complicated, with the risk of supplier bankruptcies, input shortages and shipping disruptions causing concern.

Within this region, we work with companies in the US, Canada and Brazil. These markets share common characteristics, boasting large corporations with mature credit management in strategic sectors. But each has its nuances, and understanding them is essential to correctly gauging risks in the Americas.

Brazil is experiencing strong growth in the agri-food sector. As a key commodity and agriculture hub of the Americas, and Latin America’s largest economy, the country is a major exporter of goods like soybeans, to China, and iron, coffee and aircraft to the US. At the same time, according to Allianz Trade’s 2026 Global Survey, company leaders in Brazil rank among the most worried about non-payment risk.

In the US, a key challenge is navigating credit exposure as part of the AI boom and semi-conductor demand in the context of high import costs and trade policy uncertainty. With its large domestic market, both supply and demand are often local, and reshoring or nearshoring incentives can give companies a boost – especially in AI infrastructure investments. However, from AI hardware to aerospace and manufacturing, there are almost always imported elements in US companies’ supply chains. This adds uncertainty, as highlighted in our Global Survey: 72% of companies here see geopolitical and political risks as the largest threats to their business.

In Canada, consumer goods is a promising sector, alongside metals and minerals, transportation equipment and food products. The country has shown resilience in the face of US tariffs, partly thanks to exemptions. Exporters are also successfully diversifying their client portfolios – in the last quarter of 2025, they had the lowest share of US clients on record, while exports to other countries grew by double digits.

How we build bespoke XoL policies based on deep market knowledge

Allianz Trade XoL provides highly bespoke, varied and client-centric solutions, for companies with sophisticated credit management procedures. We protect against catastrophic losses following payment default, buyer insolvency or political risk events, generally in excess of a self-retained portion. For traditional XoL structures we aim to give the underwriting pen to our clients, via a high discretionary credit limit (DCL). This affords clients the ability to make their own credit decisions within the framework of their established credit management procedures. Equally, the other structures and solutions we can offer are as varied as the problems which our clients ask us to solve. Each policy is built on our deep understanding of the operating sectors, countries and regions, as well as our extensive proprietary business intelligence.

Allianz Trade has instant access to data for 289 million companies globally, and our underwriters are in frequent conversation with their colleagues around the world. This shared business intelligence and close collaboration recently proved instrumental in providing an emergency top-up XoL solution for a leading pharmaceutical company. We were able to support the Group’s unprecedented growth by providing additional capacities in excess of their maxed-out primary insurance policy.

In Brazil’s agri-food and soft commodities market, deep sector knowledge and long-term risk perspective - both ours and our clients’ - are indispensable. Deal criteria and risk appetite are built around on-the-ground insights, reflecting an informed outlook and shared goals: as with all XoL business, true client partnership is key. Elsewhere, in Canada’s relatively stable economy, XoL policies provide a layer of security for both importers and exporters, in the context of regional tax and tariff flux.

Allianz Trade XoL providing safety amid evolving trade challenges

The most fulfilling part of our job is collaborating with clients and broker partners to support their success: we do this by constantly working to better understand our clients’ businesses, and the macro- and micro-economic factors that affect them. We’re a local team with the backing of global expertise and reach, building bespoke policies to meet real challenges, as the trade landscape evolves. For companies in the Americas, whether they’re trading semi-conductors, toys, soybeans, furniture or airplanes, solid credit management combined with insurance for any catastrophic losses are essential tools for sustainable growth.