Video Transcript
The use of invoice finance as an effective business funding solution is growing year on year around the globe. While increasing at a rapid rate internationally invoice finance has not had the same penetration in the Australian business funding market. Invoice finance accounts for about 4% of Australia’s GDP, compared to over 19% in the UK. Official data from UK Finance shows that UK facilities are more than $45 billion in drawn invoice finance and asset-backed lending at any one time. This data suggests Australia still views invoice financing as a niche or specialist business funding option, while in the UK, including the big banks, they consider it to be very popular and a well understood solution across the board for both SMEs and corporates. If the 2018 review, from the international body of Financing Trade Receivables Association is anything to go by, this relatively low uptake of invoice financing in Australia is primarily due to lack off “awareness and acceptance” by Australian businesses. As more financiers, including banks, increase their understanding and willingness to fund SMEs through alternative methods, the uptake of invoice finance will undoubtedly continue on its upward trajectory. As we can see from its international popularity, the idea that using invoice finance can be detrimental to your business is simply not accurate. Invoice financing is not an indicator of a weak or failing business. Smart leaders, business leaders understand that invoice finance is a useful and practical funding mechanism to shorten their working capital cycle, improve their business efficiency and their cost effectiveness, which allows them to support growth opportunities and their ability to meet their customer demands.
