June saw 85 responses from our membership, from 47 different countries – a great turnout from busy people! Many thanks to all who contributed!
More members are reporting a decline in sales revenue than previously, and fewer members report increased revenue. The slightly better news is that fewer members are having trouble with wholesale funding, deposit drawdowns, reduced collections, or other asset impairment. Members remain reasonably positive about government initiatives in their countries, although they’re more positive about the help governments are providing themselves than for their clients.
Our lenders remain wary about the impact on portfolios. However, more are opening up lending to new as well as existing customers. The majority still maintain tighter lending criteria, but this is a much smaller majority than back in April. Almost half are maintaining existing criteria, with a small group loosening criteria.
A few additional loan moratoria have been implemented, with about the same covering both principal and interest – but more of these are for shorter terms than before. The vast majority of our lending members continue to offer deferrals where moratoria are not in place from governments – but the terms of these also are shortening.
Overall members are optimistic about future revenues, with 60 percent predicting the same or greater revenues next month, and more than half of these predicting higher revenues in the coming month. More than 80 percent predict the same or greater customer numbers next month, again with more than half of these predicting more customers coming in. More than half of our lenders predict they’ll be lending more next month. Our lenders continue to improve their prognoses for SME wellbeing for the months to come, with declining percentages of SMEs predicted to be in distress.
So overall it would seem that, after initial shock and despair, our members are starting to see ways through this crisis. They’re still quite concerned, but more are seeing some new growth opportunities than before.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely.