The average time French companies take to pay their suppliers has dropped to 12.3 days, according to a recent study by the financial data firm Altares. This is a decrease from 14.1 days in the previous year, bringing France below the European average of 13.1 days. Nearly half of all companies—49.7%—now pay their suppliers on time, up from 45.2% the year before. Additionally, fewer companies are delaying payments by more than 30 days, with only 7.5% doing so, down from over 9% last year. Thierry Millon, director of studies at Altares, attributes this improvement to a stricter regulatory environment and the implementation of electronic invoicing, which became mandatory on September 1st. He emphasized that there is now a growing understanding that timely payments are not just about managing cash flow, but also about competitiveness, economic confidence, and meeting legal standards. The improvements are most noticeable among smaller businesses. Very small companies with one to nine employees have an average payment delay of 11.7 days, while those with 10 to 49 employees have an average delay of 11.1 days. In contrast, larger companies with more than 1,000 employees lag behind, with an average delay of 19.6 days. The private sector has seen the most improvement, with an average delay of 11.7 days in the second quarter, compared to the public sector’s slower 14 days. Certain sectors stand out for their performance. Hospitals are the worst performers, with delays averaging over 24 days. On the other hand, construction is among the best, with an average delay of just eight days. Retail and automotive repair also perform well, averaging 10.2 days. In manufacturing, many activities maintain delays under 10 days. However, some business services remain problematic, with security services averaging 26.9 days, audiovisual production at 23 days, and software publishers at 17.9 days. In Europe, the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium continue to lead in timely payments, while Portugal has the worst record, with an average delay of 23.3 days. Although France has improved, Thierry Millon cautions that payment delays are still higher than pre-pandemic levels. He stresses the need to ensure that these improvements are sustained over time.