Non-payment risk

Non-payment risk is the risk that a buyer fails to settle their commercial debt at the agreed maturity. It is the primary risk faced by every exporter.

This risk manifests in several forms:

Declared insolvency: bankruptcy, receivership, liquidation of the buyer
Presumed insolvency: prolonged payment default (typically 6 months past due)
Payment default: refusal or inability to pay without formal proceedings
Commercial dispute: dispute over quality, quantity or conformity

Prevention and protection measures include:

Credit intelligence: solvency checks (Dun & Bradstreet, Creditsafe, Ellisphere)
Credit insurance: covering 80 % to 95 % of the receivable
Letter of credit: bank-guaranteed payment
Advance payments: reducing exposure
Retention of title clause: maintaining ownership until full payment

Proactive non-payment risk management requires a structured credit management policy: credit limits per customer, outstanding monitoring, systematic reminders and escalation procedures.

Questions on this topic

Opérateur non établi qui dispose dans plusieurs états membres de numéro EORI

MRN export non certifié sous DELTA I/E : qui contacter quand le basculement ne se fait pas et comment tracer l’anomalie ?

Est ce que le service AUBETTE est utilisable par un opérateur non RDE qui dispose toutefois d'un compte pro douane ?

Quel classement pour un risotto de crevettes