SMEs across the world are now standing at the forefront of innovation. They are playing a key role in enabling economies to achieve milestones; this is especially the case for developing countries. The SME sector comprises 90% of businesses and creates jobs for more than 50% of the workforce worldwide. According to an estimate drawn by the World Bank, to engage the growing global workforce, 600 million jobs will be needed by 2030. As such, economies need to facilitate the growth of SMEs at an accelerated pace via various schemes and aids.
Owing to highly competitive markets, a key challenge faced by SMEs belonging to diverse industries is the insufficiency of capital. Given that the businesses are in their early stages, they do not always have funds to keep their daily operations running, while also seizing the right growth opportunities at the right time. This is why leveraging thoughtfully created financial aids become important for small and medium businesses.
Accounts receivable financing is one of the most sought-after financing instruments today. In this blog, we will explore the purpose of accounts receivable financing for business, what is the process, and the primary benefits of this aid.
What Is Accounts Receivable Financing For Businesses?
Accounts receivable or AR financing is a type of short-term financing where a business receives capital from a third-party finance provider by selling its accounts receivables or outstanding invoices. The business provides goods or services to its customers and issues invoices with payment terms that are in favor of the customers as well. They have to usually clear invoices within 60 or 90 days, to pay.
Using accounts receivables financing, the business does not have to wait for customers to clear invoices. Instead, it sells these invoices to a factoring company that pays the business a percentage of the invoice value upfront, around 70-90% of the total amount. Typically, this amount is paid almost immediately.
With AR financing, the factoring company has to collect payments from customers. The factoring company then pays the remaining balance to the business, minus fees. These charges depend on several factors like the creditworthiness of the customers and the volume of invoices being financed.
AR financing brings a host of important benefits for businesses, including streamlined cash flow by converting unpaid invoices into immediate cash, enabling firms to cover operational costs, helping them invest in growth opportunities, and so on. In addition, it also frees businesses from challenges associated with the non-payment of invoices. The factoring company bears the risk. Let’s explore the main advantages of accounts receivable financing for businesses.
Key Benefits Of Account Receivable Financing
- Easy Access To Capital:
Businesses today have the liberty to choose from diverse financing options. Traditional financing solutions like bank loans involve lengthy application processes and longer waiting periods when it comes to approvals. They often have strict eligibility criteria that can pose a challenge for small and growing businesses that have not had the chance to build a strong credit history yet. With accounts receivable financing, businesses get faster access to working capital with less hassles. Once the financing agreement is drafted, they receive funds in a matter of days.
- Improved Cash Flow:
A streamlined cash flow is at the core of any and every business framework, making this a key benefit of accounts receivable financing. By selling their outstanding invoices to a factor, companies can access immediate cash instead of waiting for customers to make payments. This infusion of funds can be used to cover operating expenses, invest in growth opportunities, pay employees, or address any short-term financial obligations.
- Capital For Quick Growth:
Every business has its set targets – be it related to expansion to new markets, launching new products, onboarding new talent, or investing in marketing strategies. All of these objectives demand the availability of significant capital. Through AR financing, businesses can get quick access to capital that would be otherwise tied up in unpaid invoices. These funds can help them execute growth strategies, without having to wait for their customers to clear invoices.
- Enhanced Flexibility:
When it comes to financing solutions, small and medium businesses may not possess high-value assets to offer as security to avail of most of the options. However, accounts receivable financing is an ideal funding option for SMEs as it does not require any asset other than invoices. Moreover, there can be an increase in the amount of capital provided by the factoring company to businesses as its sales and receivables grow over time.
- Outsourcing Of Collections:
With accounts receivable financing, the responsibility of credit assessment and collecting payments from customers is transferred to the third-party finance provider. This way, companies can dedicate their time, effort, and resources to more operational and revenue-generating tasks, rather than keeping track of delayed payments or managing collections for multiple customers.
- Risk Mitigation:
The factoring company has to conduct credit checks on the company’s customers before purchasing the invoices. This can eliminate risks related to financing invoices from customers with poor creditworthiness. Moreover, since the factoring company assumes the credit risk associated with the invoices, it has to bear the losses in case of non-payment.
Get Excellent Export Factoring Solutions with Tradewind Finance
Tradewind Finance is one of the leading international trade finance companies with over 180 employees working from 20 offices located in 12 countries. Our highly trained staff offers world-class customer service and truly understands global trade. We specialize in cross-border transactions globally for sales made on open accounts, letters of credit, and documentary collections payment terms.
Our solutions are offered in multiple currencies, eliminating the risks of currency exchange. We solve short-term cash flow issues by purchasing your company’s accounts receivable in exchange for an advance of up to 95% of the total invoice value. Then, we collect the full amount from your client upon invoice maturity. Once the invoice is paid in full, we send you the remaining balance. In addition to factoring your export accounts receivable, we can also finance your full supply chain.
