Problems and prospects of factoring market development in Russia

Under the conditions of the economic crisis and fierce competition, companies are able to efficiently use affordable financial resources such as factoring, which is a competitive business financing tool that meets international standards. The benefits of factoring can be seen in all participants of this service. It is beneficial for suppliers in terms of increasing sales, turnover, and reducing cash gaps. Due to the factoring, buyers obtain commodity loans and provide the optimal use of working capital. Commission merchants increase in their revenues and the number of customers, and strengthen their market positions. In the global market, an increase in factoring regardless of the presence or absence of a crisis leads to an increase in the volume of trade flows. In Russia, the popularity of the factoring is low compared to bank loans, especially among small and medium-sized businesses. The paper analyses the composition of the players in this market, examines the dynamics of the volumes of financing provided, the weighted average cost of factoring in comparison with the interest on loans, the number of participants, and financing by industry and region of the country. Based on an analysis of the current situation and long-term market data, the paper summarizes the problems of factoring in Russia, and identifies key factors for factoring market growth in the future.