UK Firms Face Rising Late Payment & Debt Write-Off Risks

A new risk assessment from Marsh reveals that UK firms are increasingly vulnerable to late payment pressures, supply chain disruptions, and mounting debt write-offs. This represents a structural shift in credit and working capital conditions across the UK business landscape, driven by macroeconomic pressures, customer payment delays, and tighter lending environments. The convergence of these three risks—late payments, supply chain stress, and bad debt—creates a compounding effect that threatens operational continuity for SMEs and larger enterprises alike.

For supply chain professionals, this finding underscores the critical importance of cash flow visibility and supplier relationship management. When customers delay payments, suppliers face immediate liquidity pressure, which cascades through procurement networks and forces companies to reduce inventory, extend payables, or negotiate extended terms. Simultaneously, rising debt write-offs signal that creditworthiness assessments are becoming more stringent, making it harder for supply chain partners to access trade financing or secure favorable payment terms.

The implications are clear: supply chain teams must proactively strengthen cash conversion cycles, diversify supplier bases to reduce single-source dependencies during financial stress, and implement dynamic discounting or supply chain financing programs to support vulnerable partners. Organizations that fail to address these interconnected risks face potential supplier defaults, expedited shipping costs to compensate for inventory shortfalls, and operational disruptions that could extend lead times and compromise service levels.