Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable is a significant form of liquidity asset, as well as a key asset used in financing. Through the funds obtained from accounts receivable issuance, enterprises have the advantage of reducing their funds and expanding their operation and financing scale. In addition, it reduces the future capital occupancy rate and cost of funds.
Accounts receivable is essentially the credit of the commodities or service of the enterprise. Enterprises should assess the credit quality of their customers in order to determine the risk of the receivable. The risk hidden in the accounts receivable is mainly credit risk, and effective measures must be taken to reduce this risk during the accounts receivable issuance process.
Typically, an enterprise has the following options to finance their accounts receivable:
1. Factoring services. A factor (a financial institution) buys the accounts receivable at a discounted price, recrewing the full face value at their own risk.
2. Securitization. This procedure involves the transfer of accounts receivable from the original borrower to a trust in exchange for a trust issued security.
3. Commercial lending. This involves borrowing from a commercial lender in exchange for future payment of the loan along withinterest.
The most common form of accounts receivable financing is through debt securitization. In this procedure, an enterprise transfers the receivables to a special purpose vehicle (SPV). This trust purchases the accounts receivable from the enterprise at a discount rate, based on the credit risk of the obligors. It then issues securities backed by these receivables with the amount of repayment being related to the amount received by the trust.
Besides debt securitization, enterprises can also finance their receivables through asset-backed commercial paper. This involves issuing commercial paper backed by the accounts receivable of the enterprise. The commercial paper is backed by the underlying collateral and the issuing company is not required to give a guarantee.
The advantages of accounts receivable financing include quicker access to cash, elimination of credit risk, and the ability to free up working capital. It also provides liquidity to cover expenditures and creates higher returns on current assets of the enterprise.
The risks associated with accounts receivable financing include the potential ability of customers to default, exchange rate fluctuations, leverege, and the ability of the enterprise to forecast future cashflow, as well as to extend receivables without costing them additional working capital.
Ultimately, accounts receivable financing is an important way for enterprises to obtain liquidity, but it should be carefully evaluated with consideration to the associated risks. With the proper due diligence, it can be a very effective way for an enterprise to access liquidity.