Investment in trade credit in small business start-ups: Evidence from Spain during a financial crisis

Abstract

This study analyses start-up firms’ investment in trade credit during the period 2011-2014. We find that new or recently created firms had greater investments in trade credit than established firms. Moreover, the results indicate that start-up firms’ investment in trade credit did not depend on their bargaining power or access to external finance. These findings suggest that the reason start-ups invested more in accounts receivable than established firms could be due to late payments or their granting credit to low-quality customers who cannot obtain credit from established firms.