Trade Payments Analysis

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Trade Payments Analysis, Q1 2015 dnb.com.au

Trade Payments Analysis

Dun & Bradstreet

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Slow economy, fast payments

Invoice payment times reach record pace in 2015

Despite an Australian economy growing at a moderate 2.3 per cent according to March quarter figures released by the ABS this month, the latest data on trade payments reveals that businesses are paying their invoices at the fastest rate on record.

Dun & Bradstreet’s latest Trade Payments Analysis reveals that average invoice payment times were 50.4 days during the first quarter of the year, down from 56 days a year earlier. While payment times slowed marginally quarter-on-quarter, the current rate is the fastest measured by Dun & Bradstreet for a Q1 period in the eight-year history of the data.

The sharp drop in payment times over the past 12-months has been driven by a jump in the percentage of invoices settled within 30 days, which lifted from 44 per cent to 56 per cent.

50.4 days 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 N o . o f d ay s

Average invoice payment times: Australia

56%

33%

6% 4%

1%

Invoice payment times: Q1 2015

Prompt 31-60 day 61-90 days 91-120 days 121 days +

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The latest findings reflect the positive impact of low interest rates on company finances, with the lower cost of debt helping businesses to manage their repayments and cash flow in an operating environment of soft demand.

The protracted recovery since the global financial crisis has also forced businesses to become leaner and more efficient operations, with a greater flexibility in payment terms and conditions to improve the likelihood of timely payment.

Despite the improvement, 44 per cent of commercial invoices in Australia are still being paid late, which withholds significant amounts of money from the financial system and places financial strain on supply chains.

According to Dun & Bradstreet’s June Business Expectations Survey, 46 per cent of businesses would choose to miss a payment to a trade supplier if without enough money to cover all of their expenses. The survey also found that 34 per cent of businesses have had a customer or supplier become insolvent or otherwise unable to pay them during the past year.

The findings underscore the challenge facing businesses to ensure prompt payment for their goods and services.

Despite more limited financial reserves, businesses with between one and five employees paid their accounts in an average of 47.2 days during the first quarter of the year, three days faster than the national average. In comparison, those companies with more than 500 employees paid their bills more than a week later, at an average of 55.1 days.

Although improving by four days from the year before, the ACT recorded the slowest average payment time of 53.3 days. Meanwhile, businesses in Tasmania were the fastest to pay their invoices, averaging 46.6 days during Q1 2015, down from 54.9 days at the same time last year.

Average payment times: states and territories, Q1 2015

Across the country, businesses operating in the utilities sector were the slowest to pay their invoices, averaging 55.2 days, down from 57.5 days last year although up on the 51.9 days in the previous quarter. The retail and mining sectors were next slowest, averaging 52.6 days and 52.2 days respectively.

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At the other end of the scale, businesses in the fishing industry averaged 43.7 days to complete their payments during Q1 2015. Businesses in agriculture and forestry averaged the next fastest payment times, at 45.7 days and 46.5 days respectively.

According to Stephen Koukoulas, Economic Adviser to Dun & Bradstreet, the improvement in trade payment times indicates healthy finances within the business sector.

Mr Koukoulas suggests that the extremely low level of interest rates and low wages growth is helping many businesses build a stronger financial position.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 N o . o f d ay s

Australian industry payment times: Q1 2014 v Q1 2015

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About Trade Payments Analysis

Business-to-business payment information is a highly predictive data set and a critical element in credit risk scores and business failures forecasting.

The distinct advantage of trade information over other forms of company data is its ability to provide insight into current performance. Company financials, which are considered to be critical to effective decision making, are reported relatively infrequently and as a consequence, organisations may be required to make decisions using data that is up to 12-months old. Conversely, because trade information is reported monthly, it reveals how an

organisation is paying its existing obligation.

Trade data is also effective across all business sizes, being the most predictive element in SME scores and the second most predictive (behind financials) in other credit scores. The predictive nature of trade data combined with its timely availability enables businesses to properly assess credit risk.

This includes the identification of both high and low risk customers, thereby enabling firms to minimise the risk of late payments and bad debts and identify the good credit accounts that will create long-term, profitable credit

relationships.

About Dun & Bradstreet

Established in 1887, Dun & Bradstreet is Australia and New Zealand’s longest-established credit information bureau. Backed by its extensive financial database, D&B helps businesses to make informed credit decisions, and consumers to access personal credit information.

D&B works across the entire credit lifecycle to deliver data-driven solutions in sales and marketing, credit reporting and debt management.

Through analysis of financial and behavioural information, D&B also provides current and predictive assessments of the economy, business conditions and credit activity.