Publications

Nearly 90% of the survey respondents in Asia Pacific reported having experienced late payment of invoices from their B2B customers over the past year.

Nearly 24% of Australian suppliers surveyed consider maintaining adequate cash flow levels to be the greatest challenge to business profitability in 2016.

Suppliers surveyed in China (38.2%) appear to be the most likely of all their peers in Asia Pacific to sell on cash terms to their B2B customers.

The highest percentage of the suppliers interviewed in Hong Kong (42%) reported that domestic B2B customers pay invoices late due to liquidity issues.

As a consequence of late payment by B2B customers, 45% of suppliers surveyed in India reported they had to take specific measures to correct cash flow.

Cost containment and cash flow position considered greatest challenges to business profitability by 18% of Indonesian suppliers (20% in Asia Pacific).

Most of the suppliers surveyed in Japan (33%) reported that foreign late payment is most often a consequence of the complexity of the payment procedure.

Despite no variation in either domestic or foreign late payment rates, the average 46 days DSO recorded in Singapore is six days longer than last year.

91% of respondents in Taiwan (88% at regional level) reported late payment of invoices by domestic and foreign B2B customers over the past year.

China is a major economic and trading power. Trade successfully with China sets out ten simple-to-follow rules that can help make your trading relationships with China lasting and successful.

On 15 November 2016, Atradius Credit Insurance hosted a webinar that looked at the opportunities available for trade with China and how to safely transact your business.

Overcapacity remains the main challenge, as the rebalancing of the economy from investment and export-driven growth towards private consumption continues.

The German steel and metals sector remains resilient with a competitive edge. However, major structural challenges and downside risks have increased.

Benefits from domestic steel demand growth will be offset by limits to raise sales prices due to the global steel overcapacity and cheap imports.

The Italian steel distributor segment has a large number of relatively small companies, which are still affected by weak demand and pressure on margins.

Fierce competition, high energy costs and increased uncertainty due to the Brexit decision continue to weigh on the financial strength of many businesses.

Banks are less willing to provide loans to the steel sector, given the high default rate and the recent debt impairment from one big steel manufacturers.

The US sector´s revenue performance remains negatively affected by the lower cost of imported steel and decreasing demand from the oil/gas industry.

The steel sector remains severely impacted by the ongoing domestic economic downturn, high interest rates, inflation, and exchange rate volatility.

A high level of competition, overcapacity and persistent low prices continue to affect revenues and margins of smaller French steel/metals traders.

External risk factors for the Mexican steel industry remain the volatility of the currency exchange rate and the impact of international metals prices.

The Dutch steel and metals sector has benefitted from a rebound in the building sector, but at the same time demand from the energy sector has decreased.

The level of protracted payments in the steel sector is high due to fierce competition, persistent pressure on margins and risky trading conditions.

Payment Practices Barometer for the Americas (NAFTA and Brazil) shows that 93% of respondents reported late payment from B2B customers over the past year.

In line with the survey average, 91.4% of respondents in Brazil (95.0% in 2015) reported late payment of invoices from B2B customers over the last 12 months.

Malgré un ralentissement de la croissance attendu pour 2016 et 2017, les taux de croissance du PIB prévus demeurent solides, respectivement à 2,5 % et 2,7 %.

Une croissance économique supérieure à la moyenne de la zone euro mais très exposée aux conséquences négatives du « Brexit ».

Alors que les relations avec l‘UE et les États-Unis se détériorent, la dette extérieure des entreprises continue de poser problème.

La croissance devrait rester supérieure à 3 % en 2016 mais l'économie reste vulnerable à l'évolution des exportations vers la zone Euro et est fortement dépendante du secteur automobile.

Le durcissement du conflit dans la région a une incidence sur la sécurité turque et sur la croissance économique.

Looking at Russia, Atradius finds that oil price hardly matters for country risk.

La demande vers les machines belges est encore affectée par les difficultés rencontrées par certains acheteurs majeurs (ex. construction).

The general outlook remains positive, and margins are relatively high, especially in niche segments. However,competition from China is increasing.

Insolvencies across advanced markets are forecast to be flat in 2016 and 2017.

L'industrie chimique belge continue de croître. Cependant, le secteur souffre de l'affaiblissement de la compétitivité en raison des coûts élevés de la main d'oeuvre.

L'industrie continue de croître en 2016, mais le ralentissement dans des marchés clés comme la Chine et le Brésil risque d'avoir un impact négatif sur certains sous-secteurs.

The sector is highly exposed to the price volatility of oil-derived commodities and foreign exchange fluctuations due the lack of refining capacities.

The Industry Playing Fields provide a visual performance forecast for 14 different industries in countries paired together in the Euro 2016 tournament.

Lower GDP growth of 2.5% in 2016 and government budget hit by lower oil price. Public spending is curbed in order to trim the high budget deficit.

Weak economic situation and uncertain outlook as the security situation remains tense. Inflation is high and the business sentiment remains subdued.

A modest economic rebound expected in 2016, but fiscal consolidation remains difficult. Jordan remains heavily dependent on foreign donors support.

La croissance économique devrait rester modeste en 2016, 1.1%. Cependant, les investissements en faveur de l'infrastructure soutiendront la croissance économique.

In 2016 economic growth will decrease to 3% due to less agriculture output and decreasing exports. In 2017 GDP is expected to rebound again, growing 4.5%.

The economy still has room to absorb the oil price slump, but a long-term period of low oil prices would hurt. Economic diversification is on the agenda.

A moderate economic rebound is expected in 2016 and 2017, given that the domestic security situation will not again hurt tourism and business sentiment.

As the oil price decrease has a negative impact on government revenues and lending conditions, many businesses face liquidity issues and payment delays.

The chemicals sectors in both Germany and France are scoring well and show robust performance. Still, some challenges lie ahead for both countries.

German non-food retailers struggle to cope with the fast growing market leaders, while the rebound for their Italian peers remains modest.

Payment delays remain a major issue in the British construction industry, while in Belgium the payment behaviour of the public sector remains bad.

Atradius identifies the most vulnerable countries and sectors in Europe to Brexit. The impact will be most acute in Ireland, Netherlands, and Belgium.