Wednesday 27 November 2013

Invoice Finance has strongest quarter ever.


Total sales from businesses supported by invoice finance broke £71bn for Q3 2013, the strongest ever quarterly performance; this is up by some 14% on the same period last year.

The latest quarterly figures from the Asset Based Finance Association show that the invoice finance industry is now supporting more than 43,000 businesses. Total client turnover for 2013 to date stands at more than £202bn, with invoice financiers projected to support over £270bn of client turnover for the full year. This would be an increase of more than 6% on 2012’s record total.

At the close of Q3, ABFA members had total advances out to clients of some £17.4bn, up 6% on the same period in 2012. This is only the fifth time the funding balance has been above £17bn, and the industry has achieved this milestone in both of the last quarters.

This contrasts markedly with the wider lending picture. Net lending to SMEs contracted by £1.4bn in Q3 2013, continuing its general trend throughout 2013.

The invoice finance industry continues to support smaller businesses, with almost 15,000 being found in the £0 – £500,000 turnover bracket, and over 30,000 in the sub-£5m bracket. However, the data shows that invoice finance is being used by more larger businesses as well; the biggest increase in client numbers was seen in the £100m+ turnover bracket, up 8% on the previous quarter.

Invoice financiers are most active supporting the services (30%), manufacturing (29%), distribution (24%), transport (7%) and construction (5%) sectors. The industry is reporting particularly strong demand in the services sector from the recruitment industry.

ABFA chief executive Kate Sharp said: “With the OECD revising upwards their predictions for the UK economy, and stronger-than-expected GDP figures, the recovery is clearly well underway.

“The latest figures show that the invoice finance industry is playing a central part in the recovery, with record client sales figures for the last quarter and continued growth year-on-year in the funding balance. The strong demand for this type of funding from small and large companies alike is heartening; so too is the diverse sectoral split. Firms which need finance should be speaking to their funders and advisers about invoice finance, as the industry can help many more firms grow and take full advantage of the economic recovery.”