Nicaragua’s economy has seen mixed performance in recent years. Following significant growth in 2024, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth dropped from 3.6% to 3.1% in 2025. This decline was primarily due to slowed remittances, limited investment and global economic deceleration. Despite this slowdown, the economy will expand by 4% this year, supported by sound fiscal and monetary policies and increased remittances, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Imagine paying tariffs based on a marked-up price that includes a middleman’s fees, rather than the true purchase cost. Since 1992, the First Sale Rule has helped importers avoid exactly that, allowing them to base dutiable value on the original transaction price rather than the final inflated one. But proposed legislation, the Last Sale Valuation Act, could bring that relief to an end.

In recent years, credit card fraud has loomed larger in the business credit community, whether it’s during counter transactions or online ordering. It is critical that credit teams know what credit card fraud looks like, even as it changes each day with advancing technology, to effectively spot and stop it wherever it may appear.

A recent arrest tied to a significant fraud ring highlights the powerful results that can be achieved through advanced risk management, real-time intelligence and coordinated teamwork. On Friday, March 20, law enforcement apprehended suspects in Forest Hill, Maryland, marking a major milestone in an investigation that directly impacted NACM-member businesses.

When addressing mounting payment delays, credit managers may be tempted to blame their slower-paying customers. While a late payment does hurt a department’s metrics, there are often holes within a business’s broader operations that also weigh on the credit department’s numbers.

Australia’s central bank raised the interest rate for the second month in a row on March 17. The decision follows fears of inflation all while the intensifying conflict in the Middle East ramps up oil prices with businesses and consumers bearing the brunt.

With conflict brewing in the Middle East, fluctuating economic policies and a cooling labor market, it is hard for credit professionals to predict where the economy is headed when each day seems to pull it in a different direction.

For many credit departments, the pursuit of stronger practices and better performance is a constant and ongoing effort. As economic and market trends fluctuate, the need for improvement only grows. Through benchmarking—comparing business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and best practices—credit teams are better positioned to achieve refinement.

No matter how sound your credit policy or how thorough your practice, bankruptcy can strike without warning. One day your customer is current and the next, they’ve filed. And when they do, the payments you worked hard to collect could be at risk of being clawed back through a preference claim.