Accelerated Working Capital Management

In the battle for financial resources on the capital market, all companies are in competition, regardless of the direct competitors in their industry. Companies with a low credit rating will also have to fear even more for their financing in the future. These companies gain more freedom by optimizing their working capital. Conversely, the successful in the German economy can benefit from this crisis. In search of "good" risks, banks will literally push the loans on them.

What are the reasons that make an external capital injection so difficult for German SMEs? - On the one hand, the basic idea is to "cut off cross-subsidization and calculate interest rates according to the actual level of credit default risk" - this is certainly not wrong. However, this has far-reaching consequences for medium-sized companies. Especially companies in industries with low equity ratios, such as the furniture sector, the construction industry or the transport industry, are significantly disadvantaged by this to borrow capital at favorable rates, although interest rates are at a historically low level. In addition, banks are under pressure to build up their own equity cover, so that even companies in supposedly safe sectors without absolute top credit ratings cannot take advantage of the current top conditions. However, companies controlled by private equity may also find it difficult to continue to obtain the usual good terms in upcoming financing rounds due to the current changes.

Raising capital on foreign markets or in the respective target country of expansion is even more difficult than obtaining financing on the domestic market. As a rule, investments are scrutinized even more critically than is already the case. Thus, the target direction for many medium-sized companies, but also for large companies, is marked out. According to KfW, internal financing is the most popular source of funds for small and medium-sized enterprises. As a rule, this is realized from retained earnings or from shareholders' funds. It is the most "expensive" type of financing. At the same time, many entrepreneurs underestimate the potential from optimizing working capital. Through targeted management of working capital, accounts payable, accounts receivable and inventories can be optimized, thereby generating free liquidity that is available for expansion projects or simply to safeguard the operating business.