The pandemic didn't just create a temporary spike in bad debt — it permanently changed the commercial debt collection landscape across multiple dimensions.
Governments across Europe, Asia, and the Americas imposed temporary moratoria on debt enforcement during 2020-2021. Most have expired, but some jurisdictions (notably Ukraine, for wartime rather than pandemic reasons) retain emergency enforcement restrictions.
Courts that closed or operated at reduced capacity during lockdowns created backlogs that persist in several jurisdictions. Italy, Spain, and Brazil — already slow pre-pandemic — saw processing times extend further.
The permanent positive: electronic court filing expanded dramatically. Poland's EPU, Germany's online Mahnverfahren, the UK's Money Claim Online, and numerous other jurisdictions accelerated digital transformation. Post-pandemic, more collection procedures can be initiated electronically than ever before.
The pandemic created winners and losers. Technology, logistics, and healthcare companies thrived. Hospitality, travel, and physical retail suffered mass insolvencies. Post-pandemic collection requires sector-specific assessment of debtor solvency.
Remote working reduced corporate office footprints, making physical service of court documents more complex. Supply chain restructuring created new cross-border commercial relationships and disputes. Government support schemes that artificially sustained zombie companies expired, triggering delayed insolvency waves in 2022-2023.
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