Welp MagazineInvoice financing is a form of short term borrowing which is extended by the bank or a lender to its customers based on unpaid invoices.
A business receives invoices from its customers and this is paid through its bank account. An invoice buyer is a type of financing institution that buys the invoices from the business that has received the same and advances the money to the business in order for it to pay the customers (so as to settle the debts it has with them).
This is a short term borrowing method because the seller of the unpaid invoices does not have to wait until it has accumulated a substantial amount of invoices before it can go and seek capital. This is because the capital is attained when it sells the invoices.
Invoice financing is superior to invoice discounting in many ways: one is that it is cheaper, the other is that it is a lot quicker and third is that the seller is not required to pay any upfront fees or costs to the funding institution.
Since invoices can be sold many times over, the invoice buyer is in a place to absorb all the fees and costs. Also, the invoice financing can be for a long period of time or for a small period of time. Invoice financing is a safer debt method for the seller as selling invoices does mean that capital can be attained quicker and faster.
The most important aspect about invoice financing is that the fact that the money is obtained has no correlation with the quality of the invoices that the seller is selling. The invoice financing institution is able to assess the value of the invoices and if they are of high quality then it will be of a high value.
This is why a lot of businesses turn to selling their invoices in order to raise capital in order to either expand their business or to be able to buy more inventory so that they can have a great stock for their customers. This way, the customers are able to get what they want with no delays and the business is able to have a wider range of products to sell to its customers.
The businesses are able to build their own brands and if they can capture the market then they are in a place to even demand higher prices for their products than what they were asked for initially. The businesses are also able to expand their market and reach other people by expanding their business. The invoice financing system works well for both the business world and also for the economy.
The first thing to note about invoice financing is that it is not actually a loan. When you have an unpaid invoice, it means that you have already received the money and you have already incurred the cost. You have already paid out money to make a profit, but the money you got, you did not use it to settle the debt. You end up with two types of money at the end of the month, an unpaid invoice and cash in your bank account. Your banker just asks you to settle your liabilities with your customers and to pay him instead. This is how the lender makes money.
If you are a business owner and you need the cash immediately, then invoice financing is a great way to go about it. Just take care of your customers, collect the amount in due time and sell your invoices immediately. All of this takes very little time to do. The main thing is to ensure that you do your homework properly.
Before just selling your invoices the first time you meet an invoice buyer, ensure that you do the necessary research so that you have a name to trust. Without knowing what you are doing, you may sell your invoices and someone might run away with it. However, with the right guidelines and the right information, invoice financing works perfectly.
