D&B Hoovers helps Ukrainian exporters find potential buyers, importers and distributors abroad and verify them before negotiations begin.
Ukrainian manufacturers entering the markets of the European Union, the United States, the Middle East and Asia often begin their search for foreign buyers through trade fairs, recommendations, open directories or personal contacts. However, this approach does not always make it possible to assess the actual scale of the market and quickly distinguish promising companies from inactive or unreliable counterparties.
One of the tools for systematically searching for clients abroad is the international business data platform D&B Hoovers. It makes it possible to compile lists of potential buyers, importers, distributors and corporate customers by country, region, industry, company size, sales volume, number of employees and other parameters.
In particular, a Ukrainian furniture manufacturer can find distributors in Germany, Poland or Romania, an agricultural company can find food importers, and an IT business can find corporate customers of a certain size and profile. D&B Hoovers also contains information about executives and individuals who may influence purchasing decisions.
“A Ukrainian exporter often begins searching for partners through trade fairs, personal contacts or open online directories. Business data makes it possible to turn this into a systematic process: first compile a list of potential buyers, then verify each of them and only after that spend resources on negotiations,” said Maksym Urakin, Director of Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine, Head of the D&B–Interfax-Ukraine business unit and Candidate of Economic Sciences.
According to him, the search for buyers abroad should consist of at least two stages. At the first stage, the company identifies its target market and compiles a list of potential clients. At the second stage, it verifies the legal status, scale of operations, corporate links, financial stability and business activity of each candidate.
For an effective search, a Ukrainian exporter must define the profile of the desired client in advance. Important criteria may include the country, type of activity, annual turnover, number of employees, presence of its own retail network, import experience and affiliation with an international corporate group.
This approach helps avoid the mass distribution of identical commercial proposals and allows efforts to be focused on companies that may genuinely be interested in Ukrainian products. Additional reasons for making contact may include the expansion of a potential buyer’s business, a change in management, the launch of a new business area or the conclusion of major deals.
Dun & Bradstreet is an international business data and analytics company founded in 1841. Its solutions are used for finding clients, identifying businesses, verifying counterparties, assessing credit and commercial risks, compliance and supply chain management. D&B Hoovers is the company’s solution for prospecting potential clients and sales intelligence.
The Interfax-Ukraine News Agency is the official representative of Dun & Bradstreet in the Ukrainian market. The specialized D&B–Interfax-Ukraine unit provides Ukrainian companies with access to international business data, helps them find and verify foreign partners, obtain a D-U-N-S Number and assess commercial risks. The agency has operated in the Ukrainian political and economic information market since 1992.
Inquiries can be submitted through the specialized D&B resource, dnb.ua, or by telephone at +38 (044) 270-65-74.
Ukrainian companies increasingly need to move from one-time checks of counterparties to regular monitoring of their condition. In a period of high economic, military and logistical risks, a partner’s financial position can change rapidly, and a delay in updating information may lead to losses.
Dun & Bradstreet tools can be used not only for the initial assessment of a counterparty, but also for the subsequent tracking of changes in its business profile, payment discipline, corporate connections, risks and reputational factors. Such an approach is especially important for companies that work with deferred payments, large batches of goods or long-term contracts.
For Ukrainian businesses, regular monitoring can become part of an internal risk management system. It helps companies respond more quickly to a partner’s problems, revise contract terms, limit credit lines or require additional guarantees.
“In a crisis environment, a counterparty that was reliable yesterday does not necessarily remain so tomorrow. That is why business verification, primarily the verification of foreign businesses, should not be a one-time action, but a continuous process,” said Maksym Urakin, Director of Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine, Head of the D&B-Interfax-Ukraine Business Unit, and PhD in Economics.
He added that the culture of counterparty monitoring should become as routine for Ukrainian companies as accounting or the legal review of a contract.
Dun & Bradstreet is an international company in the field of business data and analytics, founded in 1841. The company provides tools for business identification, counterparty verification, credit and commercial risk assessment, compliance and supply chain analysis. One of D&B’s key tools is the D-U-N-S Number, a unique nine-digit company identifier used in international business practice. In Ukraine, D&B is represented by the Interfax-Ukraine agency. The partnership is aimed at expanding Ukrainian companies’ access to international business data, supporting exports, attracting financing and integrating into global supply chains. Interfax-Ukraine is an independent Ukrainian news agency that has been operating since 1992.
Ukrainian companies that plan to attract financing, work with deferred payment, or expand international sales need to pay greater attention to the assessment of credit and commercial risks. For foreign banks, insurance companies, suppliers, and buyers, the quality of data about a counterparty is becoming a key factor in decision-making.
Dun & Bradstreet solutions make it possible to assess companies’ financial stability, their payment discipline, the risks of non-fulfilment of obligations, and their commercial history. Such data can be used both by Ukrainian companies themselves and by their potential partners. For businesses, this means that transparency is becoming a competitive advantage. A company that is easy to verify and understand has a better chance of obtaining better contract terms, financing, insurance, or trade credit. “In a world where capital has become more cautious, businesses must prove their reliability with data.
For Ukraine, this is especially important: the country has a high macro risk due to the war, so each individual company must reduce the information uncertainty surrounding it as much as possible,” Maksym Urakin noted. He stressed that systematic work with business data helps companies better manage their own risks and at the same time increases trust in them on the part of external partners. Dun & Bradstreet is an international company in the field of business data and analytics, founded in 1841. The company provides tools for business identification, counterparty verification, assessment of credit and commercial risks, compliance, and supply chain analysis.
One of D&B’s key tools is the D-U-N-S Number — a unique nine-digit company identifier used in international business practice. In Ukraine, D&B’s interests are represented by the Interfax-Ukraine agency. The partnership is aimed at expanding Ukrainian companies’ access to international business data, supporting exports, attracting financing, and integrating into global supply chains. Interfax-Ukraine is an independent Ukrainian news agency that has been operating since 1992.
In the context of war, economic recovery, and integration into European markets, Ukrainian businesses need to develop a new culture of corporate due diligence. This involves a shift from operating “on recommendation” or following only a minimal legal review to a systematic analysis of counterparties, partners, suppliers, and customers.
One of the tools for fostering this culture is Dun & Bradstreet’s international business data, which is made available in Ukraine by D&B-Interfax-Ukraine. This data can be used to identify businesses, vet counterparties, assess commercial and credit risks, ensure compliance, and manage global supply chains.
“Ukraine is gradually transitioning to a new quality of business environment. This requires not only reforms, investments, and digitalization, but also a daily culture of business verification. Trust in the modern economy must be based not only on personal contacts, but also on data, transparency, and the possibility of independent verification,” noted Maksym Urakin, Director of Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine, Head of the D&B-Interfax-Ukraine business unit, and Candidate of Economic Sciences.
According to him, this is particularly important for Ukraine in the process of recovery, attracting foreign investors, and expanding the presence of Ukrainian companies in foreign markets. The more transparent companies are to international partners, the easier it is for them to enter into new contracts, supply chains, and investment projects.
D&B-Interfax-Ukraine can be useful for large businesses as well as SMEs, financial companies, exporters, importers, investors, consultants, and organizations working with procurement or international projects.
A culture of company verification helps reduce the risk of fraud, non-payment, and dealing with shell companies or counterparties with a murky history. At the same time, it supports ethical businesses that are willing to be transparent with partners and demonstrate their business integrity.
For the Ukrainian market, this is also a matter of long-term competitiveness. Businesses that operate transparently and can be verified have a better chance of attracting financing, entering international markets, participating in tenders, and working with large corporate clients.
Dun & Bradstreet is an American company specializing in business data, analytics, commercial information, and risk management, founded in 1841. The company provides international tools for business identification, counterparty verification, credit and commercial risk assessment, compliance, and working with global supply chains. D&B maintains a global business data database and works with companies, financial institutions, government agencies, and international organizations.
Interfax-Ukraine is an independent Ukrainian news agency that has been operating in the Ukrainian political and economic information market since 1992 and has a reputation as a reliable and competent provider of timely and objective information. The editorial office and the agency’s headquarters are located in Kyiv.
Ukrainian companies, which after the start of the full-scale war have been more actively entering new foreign markets, are increasingly facing the need to check foreign partners even before the start of negotiations or the signing of a contract. One of the tools for such checks is the international business data of Dun & Bradstreet, access to which in Ukraine is provided by D&B and Interfax-Ukraine.
Counterparty verification is especially important for exporters, importers, logistics companies, manufacturers, distributors and suppliers working with companies from the EU, the United States, the Middle East, Turkey and Asia. For business, this is not only about a formal check of registration data, but also about assessing financial stability, ownership structure, business activity, possible non-payment risks and reputational factors.
“For Ukrainian business, entering foreign markets today often takes place faster than the formation of its own international history. That is why checking a partner through global business data is becoming not a bureaucratic procedure, but an element of company protection. In conditions of war and complicated logistics, a mistake in choosing a counterparty may cost not only money, but also time, a market and customer trust,” said Maksym Urakin, Development and Marketing Director of Interfax-Ukraine, head of the D&B-Interfax-Ukraine business unit, Candidate of Economic Sciences.
According to him, Ukrainian companies often check a foreign partner only after a problem arises with payment, supply or fulfillment of contract terms. Instead, international practice provides for a preliminary assessment of a counterparty even before the start of active cooperation.
Assistance from D&B and Interfax-Ukraine may be useful for companies that want to understand whom they are working with abroad, whether the partner is actually carrying out the declared activity, how stable it is and what risks may arise in long-term cooperation.
For Ukrainian exporters, this is also a way to improve the quality of their own risk management. If a company sells products with deferred payment, works through distributors or enters a new region, a preliminary check of the partner makes it possible to reduce the likelihood of financial losses.
Dun & Bradstreet is an American company in the field of business data, analytics, commercial information and risk management, founded in 1841. The company provides international tools for business identification, counterparty verification, assessment of credit and commercial risks, compliance and work with global supply chains. D&B maintains a global business data database and works with companies, financial institutions, government agencies and international organizations.
Interfax-Ukraine is an independent Ukrainian news agency that has been operating in the Ukrainian market of political and economic information since 1992 and has a reputation as an authoritative and competent provider of timely and objective information. The agency’s editorial office and headquarters are located in Kyiv.
