USMCA companies protect liquidity as inflation soars

As inflation darts upwards, increasing pressure on their liquidity and borrowing power, USMCA companies strengthen credit risk management to protect profitability over the coming months.

The impact of the alarming surge of inflation on businesses, and the consequent need to take measures to protect their profitability and viability, lies at the heart of the results of the latest Payment Practices Barometer survey conducted by global credit insurer Atradius among companies in Canada, Mexico and the United States (USMCA).

Several factors like sharply rising energy prices, and the severe instability caused by geopolitical unrest, have sent the global inflation figure soaring to a level not seen for decades.This has prompted immense concern for businesses worldwide  amid fears it will increase the risk of B2B customers defaulting on payment of invoices. This is expected to pose a significant threat to profitability and, in the worst-case scenario, a danger of being pushed out of business completely.

The Atradius Payment Practices Barometer survey shows that companies in the USMCA region addressed this concern by greatly enhancing their management of credit risk arising from trading on credit with their B2B customers. USMCA companies that opted for managing the issue in-house told us that the primary method used was to make more regular credit checks of customers to detect any warning sign of likely default on payments. This was reported by 53% of USMCA businesses, spiking to 61% in Mexico.

Companies polled also told us they very often tried to speed up cash flow by offering B2B customers discounts for early payment of invoices, or allowed customer shorter time to settle payments for their purchases on credit to customers. This was particularly reported both in Canada and Mexico.However, with interest rates rising due to inflation, the powerful motivation of USMCA companies was also to get easier access to external funding in case thery should cover potential liquidity shortfalls due to customer payment default.

A clear finding of the survey was that USMCA businesses have grasped the relevance of strategic credit management to navigate the current times of soaring inflation potentially pushing up customer credit risk.  In particular, two in five companies polled in the USMCA region acknowledged the value of credit insurance as a strengthening device of their borrowing power. This due to increased bank security coming from having transferred the payment default risk of their B2B buyers on a specialized credit insurance company.

The Atradius Payment Practices Barometer survey discovered that 70% of the US businesses that already have insured their B2B trade receivables said they will continue to rely on this tool during the next twelve months, with many saying they will also complement this with other solutions like letters of credit and trade receivables securitisation. The comparable figures were 67% in Mexico and 58% in Canada.

Key survey findings for the USMCA

For further insights into the overall survey findings in each of the markets surveyed in the USMCA, please refer to the dedicated reports that form the 2022 edition of the Atradius Payment Practices Barometer for the region.

Reports available on this website (click on the link to get to the specific report):

• Canada: business alert to dangers of B2B customer payment default
• Mexico: rising bad debt levels
• US: DSO worries prompt strategic credit management