{
  "id": 12332408,
  "title": "Singapore firms’ payment delays worsen for third straight quarter in Q3: SCCB",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/singapore-firms-payment-delays-worsen-for-third-straight-quarter-in-12332408",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-06T08:02:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Business Times - Companies & Markets",
    "slug": "the-business-times-companies-markets",
    "url": "https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/singapore-firms-payment-delays-worsen-third-straight-quarter-q3-sccb"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Singapore companies experienced a three-quarter streak of worsening payment delays in Q3 2026, according to the Singapore Commercial Credit Bureau (SCCB). The bureau reported that slow payments, defined as less than 50% of total bills being paid within agreed terms, rose to 44.47% of all transactions in Q3, marking a 0.02 percentage point increase from Q2 and a 0.01 percentage point rise year-on-year. Prompt payments, or those paid within the agreed terms, edged up by 0.01 percentage point to 41.05% in Q3. The construction, manufacturing, and retail sectors saw the most significant increases in slow payments, with the construction sector recording its fourth consecutive quarter of rising delays at 55.88%, followed by manufacturing at 39.99% and retail at 43.36%. SCCB CEO Audrey Chia noted that despite minor fluctuations in overall payment performance, the persistent rise in payment delays over three quarters highlights ongoing cash-flow pressures faced by local businesses, emphasizing the need for robust credit risk assessment and proactive receivables management.",
  "summary": "Ongoing trends highlight financial strain on local businesses, says the bureau’s CEO Audrey Chia",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Straits Times Business",
        "title": "MNCs and Singapore’s local firms tie up for win-win outcomes as they scale across Asia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/mncs-and-singapores-local-firms-tie-up-for-win-win-outcomes-as-they",
        "published": "2026-10-05T19:01:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Business Times - Singapore",
        "title": "Singapore firms’ payment delays worsen for third straight quarter in Q3: SCCB",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/singapore-firms-payment-delays-worsen-for-third-straight-quarter-in",
        "published": "2026-10-06T08:02:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}