83% of CEE suppliers affected by late payments, Atradius survey reveals

AMSTERDAM, June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Central and Eastern European companies continue to balance cash and credit, with 54% of B2B sales paid at the point of sale and 46% made on credit. Yet the credit side is under strain. Late payments now affect 83% of suppliers with nearly one in three invoices overdue. Around six in ten companies cite customer liquidity pressure as the main cause of these delays, finds the Atradius Payment Practices Barometer Central and Eastern Europe, published today.

Senior Advisor on B2B payment trends at Atradius, Silvia Ungaro, explains how sticky inflation, rising costs, and uncertainty are reshaping payment behaviour across the region:

"At the core of this trend there is a widening liquidity gap. Inflation continues to lift costs across the region. When demand weakens, revenues fall, margins compress, and working capital tightens. This dynamic is now clearly visible across Central and Eastern Europe."

Survey findings highlight four key consequences for working capital. Reduced liquidity headroom is the most immediate impact, cited by about one third of businesses, followed by ongoing challenges in cash flow planning, and rising financing needs. Limited investment further reflects how constrained liquidity is beginning to affect longer term decisions. These trends also point to a greater use of trade credit as firms seek to sustain sales.

With higher financing needs, companies are increasingly turning to external financing to bridge cash flow gaps. However, higher borrowing costs might make this more difficult, adding another layer of strain to already stretched balance sheets.

Ungaro highlights how these forces may further intensify liquidity struggles:

"The result is a cycle of pressure, where weaker customer credit quality, delayed payments, and rising financing needs reinforce each other. If interest rates rise in this depressed economic environment, the cost of accessing external funding will increase just as firms depend on it more, which risks deepening liquidity constraints rather than easing them."

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