Business Daily Media

The Times Real Estate

.

Asia businesses struggle to offset losses from increased B2B bad debt, Atradius survey reveals

Alarming 60% increase in business-to-business (B2B) write-offs expected to pose a severe threat to liquidity of companies in Asia.

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 28 June 2022 - Chasing down unpaid B2B trade debt has become a major headache for Asian companies trading on domestic and export markets. They are facing sharply increased costs to manage customer credit risk in-house and thus protect cash flow from disruption caused by the current challenging economic and trading environment.
The problem becomes even more serious with long-term unpaid B2B trade debt (more than 90 days) that is written off as uncollectable despite several attempts to receive payment. In this situation businesses struggle to find additional sales, a measure that could help to offset their losses and thus avoid putting liquidity under pressure and a company’s entire future at risk.


Severe warning signs of a mounting strain on business liquidity are evident in the staggering 60% increase in business-to-business (B2B) bad debts that could not be collected, compared to our survey in 2021. This is the major concern spelled out by businesses polled in seven markets in Asia (China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam) and in the United Arab Emirates for the 2022 edition of the Atradius Payment Practices Barometer Survey for Asia.

Taiwan sounded the highest alarm, with a bad debt write-offs figure nearly three times higher than found in our past survey of the market -- now at 8% of the total value of B2B invoices. Businesses in Hong Kong and Singapore also said they were taking a serious hit from increased write-offs, both seeing an average 50% increase. Another country suffering was Indonesia, with a reported 40% increase in write-offs. Vietnam was included in the survey for the first time and companies there said liquidity was being dented both by write-offs (at 6% of the total value of B2B invoices) and unpaid B2B trade debt, which was affecting around half of the B2B trade value.

A further worry for companies in the current challenging economic and trading circumstances is the difficulty of recovering profits when they are experiencing a high impact from write offs. The Atradius survey in Asia reveals that 20% more companies than in the previous year reported an increased willingness to extend credit to B2B customers. This is a signal that current market conditions are very competitive and that businesses struggle to get the additional sales revenue that would make good the losses from write-offs. The survey also found that a serious concern for companies in the months ahead is the ability to keep pace with demand (33%) as well as resilience of demand from B2B customers (25%).

All this has sparked increased awareness among most businesses polled about the importance of strategic credit risk management in B2B trade, with one in two companies across the markets polled expressing interest in insuring B2B trade receivables to mitigate the impact of customer credit risk on the business.

Andreas Tesch, Chief Market Officer of Atradius commented “The outlook for growth in Asia remains relatively robust at around 5% in both this year and 2023. But many of the region’s businesses operate across the world in the current deeply unsettled period, where the ongoing impact of the pandemic and geopolitical upheaval has meant a downward revision of the outlook for global growth to just above 3%. Companies in Asia are feeling the pinch from this widespread disruption in the global trading arena. Facing the increase in bad debt write-offs can be a warning sign of a business environment under financial stress. This certainly explains why the need for strong strategic credit management was seen to be a crucial theme throughout our survey across the region’s major economies”.

Roeland Punt, Atradius Regional Sales Director for Asia added: “Given the ongoing uncertainty in the market, we don’t expect the bad debts trend to recover quickly. The anxiety about the longer time it takes business to collect overdue payments from B2B customers remains acute. The credit management processes of companies will be put to the test, and those businesses which have a flexible and holistic approach to the issue will be better well placed to navigate the troubled waters that may lie ahead”.

The Atradius Payment Practices Barometer for Asia Pacific - June 2022 edition can be downloaded from the Atradius website at Atradius Hong Kong website (Publications section). It further provides in depth analysis of how businesses in key markets in Asia Pacific manage payment default risks related to selling on credit to B2B customers. Topics covered include: payment terms, the time it takes to collect invoices, managing payment delays, the impact of payment delays on business, and expected business trends.


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

Connect with Atradius on Social Media
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube

#Atradius

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

News from Asia

Backbase and Synpulse partner to accelerate banking transformation across APAC

Combining Backbase's Engagement Banking Platform with Synpulse's regional expertise to deliver customer-centric solutions SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 13 March 2025 - Backbase, the leade...

Technology driving positive outlook for Malaysian small businesses

Malaysia’s small businesses lead the region in innovation Younger entrepreneurs dominate small business landscape AI investment on the rise ...

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres Accelerates AI Ambitions, Achieves Certification under NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center Program

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 13 March 2025 - ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), one of the world's fastest-growing data centre colocation service providers headquartered in Singa...

HL Assurance Becomes First in Singapore to Launch Core Travel Insurance Coverage Add-Ons

HL Assurance addresses key concerns for the modern traveller in their new combination of essential travel insurance add-ons. SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 13 March 2025 - Singaporeans can ...

USPACE Partners with AICO to Launch 6,000-Satellite Constellation Plan

— Hybrid Constellation Focused on Direct Mobile-Satellite Connectivity to Empower “Belt and Road” Digital Future HONG KONG SAR - EQS Newswire - 13 March 2025 - At the "100 Satellites" exhibition he...

Octa broker receives the 'Best use of AI in fintech' award

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 8 March 2025 - OctaTrader, Octa broker's proprietary trading platform, was recently awarded for the 'Best Use of AI in Fintech 2025' by Global Bu...

Visa offers seamless tap-to-ride experiences for Visa cardholders on Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire - 13 March 2025 - Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in digital payments, has continued its role as an Official Co-sponsor of the Inauguration Cer...

Make a Splash This Summer: Celebrate Water and Culture at Five Iconic Bangkok Destinations with ONESIAM

ONESIAM’s Songkran celebrations, part of Siam Piwat’s guest experience program, offer tourists an elevated summer journey through culture, tradition, and immersive festivities BANGKOK, THAILAND - ...

DHL Express Hong Kong becomes the Official Partner of Kai Tak Sports Park

Both parties will collaborate to drive the growth of sports and entertainment events to the city and help to foster the development of Hong Kong into a premier hub for mega live events ...

Henkel presents the next edition of the Martha Schwarzkopf Award for outstanding female scientists

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY - Media OutReach Newswire - 13 March 2025 - For the fourth time, Henkel is proud to present the Martha Schwarzkopf Award for Women in Science, dedicated to supporting and empow...

Empowering small businesses: Localsearch rolls out affordable digital solutions

New suite of digital solutions designed to boost visibility, engagement, and customer acquisition In response to a rapidly evolving digital lan...

Why Responsible Leadership is a Competitive Advantage for Small Businesses

In today’s fast-changing business landscape, leadership is evolving. While large corporations are reassessing their diversity, equity, and inclusi...

Why it’s a great time to include the EU in your export push

With the US market beset with unknowns, training your sights on mainland Europe in 2025 makes sound sense. Wondering whether the introduction o...

Success Isn’t About Labels—It’s About Mindset

In the lead up to International Women’s Day, I’ve been reflecting on my own success as a business owner and whether or not being a woman has playe...

Accelerate Action- Thryv champions women in business for International Women’s Day

Thryv® (NASDAQ: THRY), provider of the leading small business software platform, is celebrating International Women’s Day by shining a spotlight o...

Sydney Startup Launches AI Platform To Lead the Charge on Gender Pay Gap Action

EvenBetter.ai launches in Australia with First Customers Knight Frank and Fuji Australia Sydney-based startup EvenBetter.ai has today launched th...

Sell by LayBy