Banking & Payments Federation Ireland Q1 2026 report reveals over €1.3bn in invoice finance funding

Bibby Financial Services Ireland, a committed member of Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI), welcomes the latest industry figures demonstrating the important role invoice finance continues to play in supporting businesses throughout Ireland.

We work with SMEs and mid-sized businesses that use flexible working capital to manage cashflow, strengthen their financial position and pursue opportunities for growth. The latest data reflects what we continue to see across the market: businesses value dependable funding solutions that give them greater control over their cashflow as trading conditions change.

As Ireland’s leading independent invoice finance provider, we understand the certainty and flexibility this type of funding can offer growing businesses. We’re pleased to share the latest BPFI press release below, which provides further insight into the trends shaping Ireland’s invoice finance market.

• Invoice finance is a working capital or revolving credit facility, used by both SMEs and larger businesses, to release cash tied up in outstanding customer invoices
• New BPFI data shows that funds advanced by participating lenders fell by 1.4% year on year to more than €1.3 billion in Q1 2026, while the total funds available to businesses increased by 1.9% to more than €3 billion

Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) has published new figures showing that more than €1.3 billion was advanced to Irish businesses through invoice finance at the end of Q1 2026, a decrease of 1.4% year on year. Over the same period, the total funds available through these facilities increased by 1.9% to more than €3 billion.

Invoice finance is a working capital facility used by SMEs and larger companies to release cash held up in unpaid customer invoices.

The following are the key figures from the report

• Funds advanced: Over €1.3 billion advanced to businesses, down 1.4% year on year.
• Funds available: More than €3.0 billion available to businesses, up 1.9% year on year.
• Average funding per client: Remained stable at almost €1.0 million per business.
• Client sales: Total quarterly sales reached over €9.5 billion, virtually unchanged year on year.
• Average number of debtor days: The average number of debtor days outstanding fell from 45 to 43 days.

What this tells us about the market

The latest data points to a market where:

• Businesses continue to have access to substantial levels of funding through invoice finance
• Client sales remain steady, providing a strong foundation for funding availability
• Customers are paying invoices more quickly, helping to ease pressure on business cashflow

Together, the figures underline the value of invoice finance as a flexible way for businesses to manage working capital, improve liquidity and support their plans for growth.

Commenting on today’s figures, Brian Hayes, Chief Executive, BPFI said: “The latest figures show that invoice finance continues to provide important working capital support to Irish businesses across a wide range of sectors, including manufacturing, agriculture, transport and logistics, services and recruitment. Participating lenders advanced more than €1.3 billion to client firms in Q1 2026, down 1.4% on the same period last year, while the overall funding available through these facilities increased by 1.9% to more than €3 billion.”

“At the end of March 2026, average funds advanced per client business stood at almost €1 million, unchanged from the same period in 2025, while total quarterly client sales also remained stable at more than €9.5 billion in Q1 2026. As the sales ledger is used to secure access to funds, growth in client sales can help support greater availability of finance. Meanwhile, debtor days fell from an average of 45 to 43 days year on year, indicating that client customers were, on average, paying their invoices more quickly.”

“These figures underline the practical role invoice finance can play for businesses managing the timing gap between issuing invoices and receiving payment. For firms with strong sales that want to expand or enhance their working capital, it can provide flexible funding that moves in line with their customer invoices.”