The global economy faced severe headwinds in 2023 that tested its resilience—a banking crisis, tight monetary policy and some of the worst geopolitical tension seen in years. Many countries demonstrated strength while navigating these challenges and performed much better than expected, but others succumbed to economic instability. A recent eNews poll revealed more than two-thirds of credit professionals believe a recession is around the corner if we are not in one already, while 31% see the chance of a soft landing.

In the ever-changing industry of B2B credit management, credit professionals are expected to stay informed and increase their credit knowledge to advance in their career—after all, knowledge is power. By attending NACM’s Graduate School of Credit and Financial Management (GSCFM), a hybrid program that covers four essential business and professional growth disciplines: Advanced Financial Statement Analysis, Legal Environment of Credit, Advanced Negotiations and Leadership, credit professionals will have the essential tools to excel in their career and become a master in their field.

NACM’s Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) remains in a narrow range around non-recession lows as it gained 1.1 points to 52.3 in November. However, credit managers are growing increasingly concerned about the state of the economy, citing more delinquent accounts, poor application quality and more bankruptcy filings.

As the next generation of credit professionals accepts jobs in the industry, they are using a different strategy to build customer relationships by leveraging new communication styles. However, the goals remain the same—create a strong sense of trust, improve customer service and mitigate risk.

In the intricate world of construction and property development, the mechanic’s lien serves as an essential legal tool, safeguarding the interests of those who contribute labor or materials to a project. The absence of such a tool is a loss of legal protection for contractors, subcontractors and suppliers ultimately leading to larger losses for all involved. Cleveland Brothers Equipment Company is facing that fate in a mechanic’s lien case that has been appealed to the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and the issue to be decided is whether equipment rental companies will continue to have rights…

In an era defined by the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), the profound impact of AI has become increasingly evident. Transformative AI technologies such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT have reshaped the business landscape by boosting productivity at the workplace. The use of generative AI in finance is expected to increase global GDP by 7%—nearly $7 trillion—and boost productivity growth by 1.5%, according to Goldman Sachs Research. AI has the potential to increase financial services revenues by 34% and economic growth by 26%, according to a report from Gitnux. Chatbots are also gaining…

In the dynamic and ever-changing world of finance, it is imperative to stay ahead of the curve and ensure agility is built into your business operation. More and more businesses have integrated global business services (GBS), an evolution of the shared services model that controls the delivery of business support functions to the core business through multiple service delivery models on a global basis.

Israel’s almost $500 billion economy—the most developed in the Middle East—was healthy for most of 2023. Then on Oct. 7, Hamas launched an attack on Israel that quickly became the deadliest of the five wars fought between the sides since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. It’s been more than one month since that attack and the economic implications are beginning to surface. Customers in Israel are paying on average 41 days beyond terms according to FCIB’s October Credit & Collections Survey. Nearly three in every four credit managers say payment delays are increasing due to the…