PR90112

AMSTERDAM, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

-- Atradius Payment Practices Barometer survey shows scale of business stress

as experts warn there may be worse to come

According to the latest edition of the Atradius Payment Practices Barometer for

Asia, 50% of all B2B credit sales in the region are overdue. Many businesses

polled in the region are feeling the pinch of the global pandemic recession.

Around 40% of the survey respondents are pessimistic about the outlook for

their Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), and 25% express concern over their

liquidity levels as the pandemic continues across Asia.

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Overall, 40% of the suppliers polled in Asia reported an increase in late

payment from their B2B customers over the past year, though in a region as vast

and varied as Asia there are individual differences amongst the markets

surveyed. 48% of respondents (with Indonesia the highest at 60%) indicated that

they had to take corrective measures to reduce the impact of payment defaults

on their business. These included delaying payment to their own suppliers (40%

of respondents, with United Arab Emirates the highest at 47%). 31% of

respondents (with Hong Kong the highest at 37%) needed to pursue additional

external financing to pay their own creditors. This may explain why 25% of

businesses polled in Asia (with Singapore the highest at 32%) expressed concern

about maintaining adequate cash flow over the coming months.

However, this year's survey results also highlight that business confidence

across the region is mainly upbeat. This is driven by a general anticipation of

a rebound of domestic economies, which in turn depends on the pace of the

vaccine rollout in the individual countries to resolve the pandemic crisis.

As Andreas Tesch, Chief Market Officer of Atradius explains: "The annual

Payment Practices Barometer survey takes the temperature of markets throughout

the world. Trends such as year-on-year increases in DSO can be an early warning

sign of an industry under stress. Although the world economy looks set for

recovery in 2021, important risks remain. The recent resurgence of COVID-19

cases in many parts of Asia is likely to pose a threat to short-term economic

recovery in this region. Therefore, predicting future developments in the

business and trade environments in the region's major economies is still quite

challenging. There are, however, some positive signs that help us understand

that the coming months may be brighter."

Eric den Boogert, Atradius Managing Director for Asia, adds: "The overall

optimistic business sentiment and anticipation of increased use of trade credit

show a strong business confidence in the ability of most governments to

minimise the impact of the  pandemic crisis on the economy. Having said that,

we don't expect the overdue trends to recover quickly and respondents' concerns

about further deterioration of DSO remain valid. Businesses' credit management

processes will be put to the test, and those companies that adopt a holistic

and flexible credit management approach will be best positioned to navigate

through this uncertain period."

The 2021 Atradius Payment Practices Barometer for Asia was conducted in Q2

2021, a full year after the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a

global pandemic.  Markets surveyed were mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia,

Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates. The reports can be downloaded

from the Atradius website at https://group.atradius.com (Publications section).

About Atradius

Atradius is a global provider of credit insurance, surety and collection

services, with a strategic presence in over 50 countries. The credit insurance,

bond and collection products offered by Atradius protect companies around the

world against the default risks associated with selling goods and services on

credit. Atradius is a member of Grupo Catalana Occidente (GCO.MC), one of the

largest insurers in Spain and one of the largest credit insurers in the world.

You can find more information online at https://group.atradius.com

For further information

Head Office

Christine Gerryn

Director of Group Communication & Commercial Development

Phone.: +31-20-553-2047

E-mail: christine.gerryn@atradius.com

https://group.atradius.com

Asia Pacific

Sylvia Wong

Regional Marketing Manager Asia

Phone: +852-3657-0810

E-mail: sylvia.wong@atradius.com

https://atradius.com.hk/

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SOURCE: Atradius N.V.