B2B payment practices trends, Eastern Europe 2022

The 2022 edition of the Atradius Payment Practices Barometer survey findings for Eastern Europe is a valuable opportunity to hear directly from companies in the local industries about how their business operations are coping with the disruptive impact of the current challenging economic and trading circumstances.

Of course, this survey is a snapshot taken in a very volatile economic environment, and the findings should be viewed with this in mind. The survey was conducted at the beginning of the last quarter of 2022.

Topics covered include:

• the impact of late or non-payment on the industries polled
• the average time it takes to turn overdue B2B invoices into cash
• how businesses manage payment default risks related to selling on credit to B2B customers
• expected challenges to profitability during the coming months.

More insights into the survey findings by country can be found in the reports that form this edition of the Atradius Payment Practices Barometer for Eastern Europe.

Key takeaways from the survey

• A clear result of our survey is that selling on credit to B2B customers continues to be an important factor across the industries polled in Eastern Europe. Overall, we found that 44% of sales in B2B trade was transacted on credit during the past twelve months.
• The average payment term granted to B2B customers during the past year by companies polled across Eastern Europe is 42 days from invoicing. Almost 40% of companies polled said the main reason to offer credit terms in B2B trade was to win new business.
• Late payments currently affect an average of 43% of all sales to B2B customers across industries polled in Eastern Europe. The chief reason for late payments across the region was reported to be liquidity shortfalls experienced by B2B customers,
• Deterioration of Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) was reported by 48% of businesses polled across Eastern Europe in the past twelve months.
• By far the major concern looking ahead for companies across the markets and industries polled in Eastern Europe is deep uncertainty about the effects of the ongoing global economic downturn.
• Businesses in Eastern Europe told us they fear the interplay of high inflation, the energy crisis, geopolitical tensions and increasing costs of production input could delay or even hamper rebound of their domestic economies.

Key survey findings by industry

For further insights into the overall survey findings in each of the markets surveyed in Eastern Europe, please refer to the dedicated reports that form the 2022 edition of the Atradius Payment Practices Barometer for the region, available for download on this website.

Survey findings related to the industries surveyed in the Eastern Europe markets covered by the study are featured in the listed below reports, available for download also on this page.

• Agri-food: Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey and Hungary
• Chemicals: Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Turkey
• Construction and Construction materials: Poland
• Consumer durables: Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey and Hungary
• Steel/Metals: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey and Hungary
• Transport: Bulgaria and Slovakia