In the third quarter of 2025, the number of unpaid liabilities recorded in the ERIF BIG database increased by 18% year-on-year.
The average single debt owed by one company amounts to PLN 23,800. The largest liabilities stem primarily from the costs of running a business.
To avoid liquidity problems and payment bottlenecks, entrepreneurs are increasingly checking the financial condition of their contractors—4.4 million reports were downloaded from the ERIF BIG database in Q3 2025 alone.
Polish companies’ indebtedness continues to rise. According to data from the ERIF Economic Information Bureau, total corporate arrears at the end of Q3 2025 were 18% higher than at the end of Q3 2024.
Not only has the total debt increased, but so has the number of entries documenting unpaid obligations. Over the past year, more than 21,000 new records have appeared in the BIG database. The average value of a company’s debt remains practically unchanged at around PLN 23,800.
“An analysis of data from the beginning of the year clearly shows a slow but steady increase in entrepreneurs’ liabilities. Interestingly, this is happening despite positive economic signals—declining inflation and the 3.7% year-on-year GDP growth reported by Statistics Poland in Q3 2025. The problem is that business operating costs are still rising, as are the prices of services and materials. In such circumstances, many companies try to stay afloat by postponing payments or negotiating repayment terms. Even in favourable external conditions, doing business still requires careful spending plans and caution, meaning the financial health of partners must be verified—even those already well known,” says Aleksandra Wilczak-Grzesik, an expert at ERIF BIG SA.
The largest debts exceed PLN 10,000
The most serious financial difficulties among Polish companies concern debts above PLN 10,000. Although these entries are relatively few in number, they account for nearly 77% of the total value of corporate indebtedness.
“The fact that debts above PLN 10,000 make up more than three-quarters of total company arrears is a kind of warning signal—especially since a large portion of these liabilities consists of overdue loans. This shows that rising business operating costs are forcing entrepreneurs to borrow funds just to maintain daily operations or invest in development. In practice, strategies such as withholding payments or financing needs through high-value loans can affect the entire market. A single insolvent company can disrupt the financial liquidity of its partners and ultimately affect many participants within the broader economy,” comments Wilczak-Grzesik.
In both Q2 and Q3 2025, the largest debts were associated with general business operations.
Changes in debt structure: rising arrears for multimedia and bank obligations
Although the largest share of corporate debt still arises from day-to-day business operations, its percentage fell slightly in Q3 to 41.37% (from 41.81% in Q2). Other types of liabilities, however, gained importance—particularly bank-related debt, which now accounts for 20.65% of total arrears (up from 20.35% in Q2).
Arrears related to multimedia services also rose slightly, now representing 16.43% of total debt (compared to 16.27% in Q2). Insurance-related liabilities are also noteworthy, reaching 15.04% of all corporate debt (14.91% in Q2).
“A slight decrease in liabilities directly related to business operations, accompanied by growing bank and multimedia-related debts, may indicate two things. First, companies may be trying to maintain liquidity by postponing loan repayments or bills for services that are not essential. Second, rising bank debt shows that external financing remains a heavy burden—most likely because loan servicing costs are still high,” explains the ERIF expert.
Growing financial awareness and a stronger focus on credibility
Faced with rising debt levels, entrepreneurs are becoming increasingly cautious and more intent on protecting their businesses. This is reflected in the number of contractor reports downloaded from ERIF BIG: both in Q2 and Q3 2025, companies retrieved 4.4 million reports. This indicates that businesses are more frequently verifying partners’ creditworthiness before starting cooperation.
“This high volume demonstrates that checking business partners has become a market standard in Poland. Verifying a contractor’s payment credibility helps companies—especially smaller ones—avoid payment delays that can seriously disrupt daily operations,” says Wilczak-Grzesik.
Alongside the growing number of negative entries in the ERIF BIG database, the number of positive records is also increasing. At the end of Q3 2025, the total number of confirmations of timely payments exceeded 247 million, compared to more than 239 million at the end of Q2. Many companies are consistently building their credibility and trust among business partners, which gives them a real competitive advantage.
Source: ceo.com.pl
