FCIB / NACM

Large, multinational banks are partnering together to build a new global trade finance platform using Blockchain technology. According to a report in Global Trade Review (GTR), Commerzbank, Bank of Montreal, Erste Group and CaixaBank are joining a project underway by UBS and IBM dubbed Batavia in an expansion of a proof of concept that IBM and UBS launched at Sibos ... Read More »

Led by a severe drop in sales expectations across the country, the Index of Small Business Optimism from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) slid from 105.3 to 103 in September. “The temptation is to blame the decline on the hurricanes in Texas and Florida, but that is not consistent with our data,” said NFIB President and CEO Juanita ... Read More »

Banks and companies in the trade finance sector are increasingly using digital solutions to address companies’ significant and unmet financing needs. Yet the global trade finance gap—estimated at $1.5 trillion, with approximately 40% originating in Asia and the Pacific—persists in a stable state, with emerging economies and small- and mid-size enterprises (SME) bearing the brunt of financing shortfalls. More than ... Read More »

A surge in capital spending and high sales expectations have caused a streak of historically high performances dating back to November to continue in the Index of Small Business Optimism from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).  The percentage of small-business owners who plan to make capital expenditures in the near term is at its highest level since 2006. ... Read More »

The rate of short-term, non-financial corporate bank loans to companies in China has fallen in recent months to less than 1% from a high of 4.8% growth in January 2016.  The tightening—a result of Chinese policymakers’ shift to reduce debt in sectors with excess capacity like iron and coal production—is helping improve China’s overall creditworthiness, notes a recent report in ... Read More »

The numbers in NACM’s June Credit Managers’ Index (CMI), which will be released Friday at nacm.org, are likely to reflect a strong monthly rebound in business conditions. The index has been on a roller-coaster ride over prior months, mirroring the volatility in many kinds of economic data streams. “The fact is that there are contradictory waves coursing through the economy as ... Read More »

The rise of electronic payments providers in China is facilitating more online consumption and “omni-channel retailing” and may serve as a source of competition to traditional retailers and banking operations going forward. “The rise in the usage of e-payments is positive for internet companies and most service and consumer-related companies, although it could also be negative for some companies in ... Read More »

A surge in small business optimism that started last November was continued in March, according to the National Federation of Independent Business’ (NFIB) Small Business Optimism Index. Though the index slipped slightly, it still posted a strong reading, with gains in actual earnings, capital expenditure plans and job-creation plans. Sales expectations, however, dropped eight points, signaling that the index could ... Read More »

Analysis of data from a database of debt instruments from Moody’s Investors Service may yield helpful insights ahead of the next economic downturn. The data reveals how default types change over time, how recoveries differ depending on the instrument’s position in a company’s debt structure and whether private-equity ownership influences recovery rates. Moody’s Ultimate Recovery Database traces close to 5,500 ... Read More »

Notwithstanding the concern expressed by the G20 and B20 Forums about the general lack of prosperity of SMEs, the news from the United States is encouraging as reported by the National Association of Credit Management (NACM). Expectations for better business conditions among small business owners are at their highest since 2004, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses’ (NFIB) ... Read More »

The reading for the combined CMI jumped up from 52.9 to 54.1, the third-highest reading seen this year. In April, it  hit 54.6 and in March it  was at 54.3. Last month’s 52.9 was the fourth-lowest reading in the last 12 months.  The news was similarly positive in both the favorable and unfavorable index readings. The favorable score last month ... Read More »

Default risks among companies in the People’s Republic of China are rising as the regime struggles to keep the yuan’s exchange market slide gradual. The authorities have taken a number of steps to slow the unit’s depreciation. They have issued new rules clamping down on overseas investments by Chinese companies. They have instructed banks to limit sharply how much companies, ... Read More »

Advancements in battery technology could have significant implications for global credit markets, according to Fitch Ratings. Disruption may occur across sectors that account for close to a quarter of all outstanding corporate bonds.  A leap in battery technology could increase the viability of electric vehicles (EVs) over internal combustion engines, resulting in a negative effect on credit in the oil ... Read More »

Whether it’s the number of bankruptcies or the recovery rates for creditors that serve the oil and gas sector, the industry may be facing a downturn not seen since the telecoms sector collapse in the early 2000s. “The jump in oil and gas defaults that was driven by slumping commodity prices, was primarily responsible for the increase in the overall ... Read More »

Credit and financial professionals should not expect any sort of robust recovery in NACM’s Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) for August, which will be released Wednesday morning. Although likely to stay within the range of expansion (anything above 50) for months to come, the combined index appears hard-pressed to reverse its recent sluggishness.  Professionals will want to pay close attention to ... Read More »

Most credit professionals who weighed in on how they do business in the Middle East and Africa, using FCIB’s latest survey, conduct business with existing customers in these countries.  Wire transfer, letters of credit (L/C) and cash against documents were some of the more popular ways they secure payments. Survey takers who sell into Pakistan contributed payment delays to billing ... Read More »

How will the Brexit impact insolvencies?  A number of sources have attempted to answer this question. The U.K.’s exit from the EU will have a major impact on corporate insolvency in the sovereign state, according to Andrew Tate, president of U.K. insolvency trade body R3. “The U.K.’s insolvency regime does not exist in a vacuum,” Tate said. “It is entwined ... Read More »

The business-to-business (B2B) payment landscape is still rife with inefficiencies and not enough straight-through processing (completely electronic B2B payments), according to a speaker at NACM’s 120th Credit Congress in Las Vegas last week. Meanwhile, businesses often don’t receive enough remittance information and handle too many paper checks. These payment issues are among those addressed by Claudia Swendseid, senior vice president ... Read More »