Risks in international trade often arise not with the direct counterparty but at subsequent levels of the supply chain. A company may have a reliable supplier that, in turn, depends on a single factory, logistics operator, technology owner, or subsupplier in another country.
That is why international risk management is gradually shifting from simple counterparty verification to the analysis of broader corporate and supplier relationships. This is particularly relevant for Ukrainian businesses because of the war, complicated logistics, sanctions regimes, and the high dependence of many industries on imported raw materials and equipment.
“A company may know its direct partner well and, at the same time, may not know on whom that partner’s operations critically depend. A single problematic subsupplier, a sanctions-related connection, or a production shutdown at the other end of the chain can disrupt a contract in Ukraine. Therefore, modern verification must answer not only the question ‘Who is our partner?’ but also ‘Who does our partner depend on?’” said Maksym Urakin, head of the D&B — Interfax-Ukraine business unit and Candidate of Economic Sciences.
Risk factors include the excessive concentration of procurement from a single supplier, dependence on a single region, opaque corporate relationships, sanctions risks, financial problems at a key company in the chain, or a sudden change of ownership.
For critical supplies, companies should develop a pool of alternative suppliers, determine minimum inventory levels, verify corporate groups, and reassess partners in the event of significant changes. This is particularly relevant to the energy sector, mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals, the food industry, construction, and other sectors in which the disruption of a single component can block the entire production cycle.
D&B solutions in supplier intelligence and business risk management make it possible to work with global business data, corporate relationships, and risk signals. For Ukrainian companies, this information can provide a foundation for building more resilient supply chains.
In the long term, the verification of supplier relationships is becoming not a one-time procedure but part of a business’s operational resilience.
D&B — Interfax-Ukraine helps Ukrainian companies work with international business data and business identification tools.
Dun & Bradstreet is an international provider of business data and analytical solutions whose history began in 1841. D&B works with data on companies worldwide and provides tools for business identification, counterparty verification, credit and commercial risk assessment, compliance, and supply chain management.
The Interfax-Ukraine News Agency is the official representative of Dun & Bradstreet in Ukraine. The specialized D&B — Interfax-Ukraine division provides Ukrainian companies with access to international business data, helps them verify foreign counterparties, and assists them in working with D&B tools.
Questions can be submitted through the specialized D&B resource — dnb.ua, by email at Urakin@interfax.kyiv.ua, or by telephone at +38 (044) 270-65-74.
BUSINESS, D&B, INTERFAX-UKRAINE, RISK MANAGEMENT, SUPPLY CHAINS
