LUSA 06/24/2026

Lusa - Business News - Portugal: More than 20% of companies unprepared for sudden economic change

Lisbon, June 23, 2026 (Lusa) - Around 22% of Portuguese companies believe they are unprepared and have no measures in place to deal with a sudden deterioration in the economic climate, according to a study published on Tuesday.

According to the latest study on Credit Risk Management in Portugal, commissioned by Crédito y Caución and Iberinform, there are “several gaps in companies’ commercial risk management policies”.

The findings, based on a survey of around 400 company managers, show that 22% do not have “any kind of strategy in place to deal with a negative change in the commercial and economic climate, which leaves risk management vulnerable”.

The report points out that only 6% of Portuguese companies “have contingency plans in place to mitigate the effects of a sudden deterioration in the economic climate”.

Meanwhile, 32% say they have basic measures in place, and 29% say they have developed specific actions to counter negative economic changes.

According to Crédito y Caución, one of the leading brands in domestic and export credit insurance in Portugal, with a market share of 22.1%, having preventive measures in place “can reduce financial risk by between 30% and 70%, depending on the type of company, sector and level of implementation”.

The same data indicates that 69% of companies have not seen any changes in the profile of customers with overdue payments.

In total, 8% noted that the changes observed were in sectors dependent on exports and/or imports, whilst a further 8% of companies “are noticing a different profile among customers with payment arrears, indicating that these are linked to sectors affected by geopolitical uncertainty”.

JO/ADB // ADB.

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