Atradius survey highlights growing liquidity pressures and insolvency risks for North American businesses
Executive summary: The 2026 Atradius Payment Survey indicates that North American companies are facing a complex landscape of payment risks, characterized by underlying liquidity tensions and increased concerns regarding insolvency. Rising insolvency risks and liquidity pressures can lead to increased bad debt, tighter credit terms, and potential disruptions in B2B supply chains across the region.
Who is involved: North American businesses, Atradius, and credit insurers.
Likely next: Monitoring of corporate insolvency rates and adjustments in credit insurance premiums by providers like Atradius.
The Atradius 2026 Payment Survey reveals a dichotomy in the North American market: while customer payment patterns appear stable on the surface, deep-seated liquidity constraints and rising insolvency fears are creating a high-risk environment. This mismatch suggests that traditional monitoring of payment delays might be insufficient to capture the true extent of the impending credit risk.
What's next — scenarios
Base: Gradual increase in credit tightening (50%)
Companies adopt more conservative credit terms and increase monitoring of customer liquidity.
- Steady rise in corporate default rates
- Atradius reporting higher insolvency numbers in Q4 2026
Downside: Rapid liquidity crunch (30%)
A spike in insolvencies leads to a wave of bad debts and significant contraction in B2B trade credit.
- Sudden spike in interest rates
- Significant drop in consumer spending affecting business cash flows
Upside: Resilient liquidity management (20%)
Businesses successfully navigate pressures through better cash management, avoiding widespread defaults.
- Stabilization of central bank policies
- Improved corporate earnings reports across major sectors
What to watch
- Quarterly insolvency rate reports for North America
- Changes in credit insurance premium pricing by Atradius
- Corporate liquidity ratios in upcoming earnings seasons
Timeline
- — Sachschäden: Neuronale Netze spüren Versicherungs-Betrüger auf (Handelsblatt)
- — A complex payment risk landscape for North American businesses emerges, Atradius survey finds (PR Newswire)
Analysis — what this means
Sectors affected
- B2B services
- Manufacturing
- Supply chain and logistics
- Credit insurance