科法斯：2023法国企业付款调查报告（英文版）（13页）.pdf

1、NOVEMBER 20232023 France Payment Survey:Longer and more frequent payment delays,with small companies in the firing lineExecutive summaryThe Coface Corporate Payment Survey which was conducted among 630 businesses last July has demonstrated that offering payment terms to clients is a well-established

2、 practice among businesses:97%of them stated that they do so,irrespective of the sector and the size of the company.However,very small enterprises(VSEs)grant considerably shorter delays,probably owing to a generally tighter cash flow position that does not allow them as much flexibility.The average

3、payment term in France(48 days)is longer than in other European countries where we carried out similar studies,notably Germany;however,it is shorter than time frames granted in Asia.Consequently,despite the relatively long payment terms,at least 82%of companies have recorded late payments by their c

4、lients over the past 12 months.Furthermore,the majority stated that late payments were occurring more frequently,and for longer periods,than last year.An important factor affecting payment delays is the size of the company:70%of Small and Medium and Very Small Enterprises(SMEs and VSEs)reported long

5、er payment delays when they already generally have to deal with longer-than-average payment times.The results are all the more worrying as half of VSEs stated that late payments have a“very important”or“critical”impact on their cash flow.The deterioration in corporate payment habits is echoed in ins

6、olvency numbers,with an undisputed increase observed since the start of the year that has even overshot pre-Covid levels.While 50 percent of companies anticipate that the number of late payments will be stable over the next 12 months,a third of them expect them to occur even more frequently.Irrespec