{
  "id": 4790107,
  "title": "Payment delays worsen for Singapore companies over past year: survey",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/payment-delays-worsen-for-singapore-companies-over-past-year-survey",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-01T04:45:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Business Times - Singapore",
    "slug": "the-business-times-singapore",
    "url": "https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/singapore/payment-delays-worsen-singapore-companies-over-past-year-survey"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nearly one-third of Singaporean firms experiencing payment defaults suffered losses exceeding 10% of their total receivables, according to a Coface Apac Payment Survey 2026. While half of the businesses reported that payment delays have become more frequent over the past year, double the 21% who said there was an improvement. The deterioration in payment discipline has led to at least one customer default for 57% of Singapore firms, surpassing the Asia-Pacific average of 45%. In cases where defaults occurred, the financial impact erased more than 10% of receivables for 31% of these firms. Payment delays are particularly severe in the construction industry, with an average delay of 85 days, compared to the national average of 66.3 days. Cultural business practices also contribute to the problem, as 74% of respondents said personal relationships influence their tolerance for late payments, and 84% admitted that relationship considerations sometimes outweigh financial red flags. As a result, 65% of Singapore businesses wait until payment delays exceed 60 days before tightening credit controls, compared to just 47% across the Asia-Pacific region. The survey indicates that half of the respondents expect payment conditions to worsen further in the coming year, with retail and chemicals firms expressing the most pessimistic outlooks.",
  "summary": "For nearly a third of the firms experiencing defaults, the financial impact wipes out more than 10% of their total receivables",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}