Publications

Poor payment practices of B2B customers caused financial distress on businesses in Western Europe and a ripple effect throughout the whole supply chain.

Due to late payment, nearly twice as many respondents in Austria (21%) than in Western Europe delayed investment, in property, plant and equipment.

As seen in France, more respondents in Belgium (30%) than in Western Europe (22.4%) expect deterioration in their DSO over the next 12 months.

Half of our Danish respondents (27% in Western Europe) said that B2B customers delay payments as they use outstanding invoices as a form of financing.

Notably more respondents in France (31.3%) than in Western Europe (22.4%) expect deterioration in their DSO over the next 12 months.

93.0% of respondents in Germany experienced late payment of invoices by B2B customers over the past year. This in spite of very strict payment terms.

Far more respondents in Greece (87%) than in Western Europe (57.9%) said that domestic B2B customers pay invoices late due to liquidity issues.

Around 40% of respondents in Ireland said they will check their customers’ payment records and increase monitoring of their buyers’ credit risk.

Due to late payment of commercial invoices, notably more respondents in Italy (41%) than in Western Europe (23.7%) delayed payments to their suppliers.

Despite a firm grip on trade receivables management, 1 in 5 respondents in the Netherlands had to delay payments to their own suppliers.

Two in five respondents in Spain expect payment practices of B2B customers in the consumer durables industry to deteriorate over the next 12 months.

One in four Swedish respondents believe that late payment from export customers is due to external factors such as inefficiencies of the banking system.

More respondents in Switzerland (32%) than in Western Europe (26%) will increase the use of cash, or of terms other than credit in B2B trade.

Survey findings point to Great Britain as the country in Western Europe that is the most impacted by late payment from export customers.

Robust domestic demand expected to continue in 2016, but smaller players are struggling.

Consumption growth continues in 2016 but margins remain tight.

More troubles for the electronics and toys segments.

Lower holiday sales likely to result in payment delays and insolvencies in 2016.

Payment delays are expected to increase.

Modest growth expected in 2016, with concentration process on-going in the market.

Introduction of a retail tax could hurt businesses’ margins.

Profit margins are expected to remain stable in 2016, but competition is strong.

The influx of cheaper brands from China has increased competition.

Newly founded businesses, in particular, face higher risks in the highly competitive market.

Demand for consumer durables continues to increase, driven by rising living standards.

Despite major economic reforms growth remains subdued and inflation very high.

The economy continues to deteriorate, with high inflation and sharply increasing government debt.

Growth sustained by government investments in infrastructure and private consumption.

A hard landing of the Chinese economy and growing social unrest remain downside risks.

In the French construction segment revenues and investments remain low, competition is fierce, and prices and profitability are both being squeezed.

Cooperatives and SMEs focused on domestic residential construction remain highly exposed to the risk of business failure.

The recovery of the Dutch construction sector continued in 2015, but remains one-sided.

Insolvencies are expected to decline further, but at a slower pace than in 2015.

Payments in the construction sector still take more than 100 days on average.

Uncertainty about interest rates and currency volatility could derail the performance in 2016.

The sharp decrease in oil prices has a negative impact on construction activities.

Atradius identificeert de top 8 meest veelbelovende markten voor zakelijke kansen in 2016.

Les insolvabilités devraient chuter de seulement 3 % en 2016, la performance la moins bonne depuis 2012.

Insolvencies are forecast to fall only 3% across advanced markets in 2016, the worst performance since 2012.

Business insolvencies expected to increase 6% in 2016 as the slump in the mining sector continues.

Economic growth forecast to slow down to 6.3% in 2016, but no hard landing expected for the time being.

External indebtedness poses a risk to Indonesian businesses, and economic growth is slowing down further.

Slow pace of economic recovery, with GDP expected to grow 1% in 2016, and inflation remaining stubbornly low.

GDP expected to grow above 5% in 2016 due to robust private consumption, but the business environment remains difficult.

Economic performance impacted by slower growth in China and Southeast Asia.

High household indebtedness weighs on private consumption, and exports are affected by the slowdown in China.

Le fort endettement pèse sur la consommation des ménages, et les exportations sont affectées par le ralentissement économique chinois.

Productivity increases and economic diversification are the main long-term challenges.

Stable growth (up 6.4% in 2016) and inflation back under control, but the economic fundamentals still show some weaknesses.

Atradius picks the top 8 markets for business opportunities in 2016. These emerging markets have been showing strong performances over the past three years and are expected to improve further in 2016.