Atradius survey finds rising payment risks for North American businesses

A survey of over 600 businesses across the United States, Canada, and Mexico reveals an emerging complex payment risk landscape in North America. According to the 2026 Atradius Payment Practices Barometer, while general customer payment behavior has shown little change, underlying liquidity pressures and rising insolvency concerns are creating a more difficult environment for business-to-business (B2B) trade.

Late payments affect seven in ten companies in the region, with overdue invoices accounting for an average of 23% of B2B receivables. Although most overdue payments are settled within one month, approximately one in three businesses reported reduced cash availability. Customer liquidity constraints were identified as the primary driver of late payments.

Looking forward, businesses cited macroeconomic conditions as the most significant threat to payment performance. Primary concerns include an economic slowdown, inflation, cost pressures, and elevated interest rates affecting access to working capital.