Why CFOs should rethink the role of payments in business growth

In many companies, payments have been treated as little more than a mechanical necessity — the final administrative step in the transaction cycle. But that perception is rapidly changing. In an era where digital commerce is the default, CFOs are beginning to understand the power of payments not just as a financial function, but as a lever for business growth, customer loyalty, and competitive advantage.

Reframing payments in this way isn’t just about digitizing processes — it’s about transforming how the business thinks about value creation.

From back-office task to strategic lever

Traditionally, payments have been optimized for cost and compliance: how fast, how cheap, how safe. But these measures miss the bigger picture. Payments sit at the heart of revenue realization, supplier satisfaction, and working capital health.

Consider the example of Amazon Business. The platform has strategically built flexible payment terms, embedded finance tools, and instant settlement options into its B2B offering. The result? A smoother buying experience for customers, better cash predictability for sellers, and tighter integration across the value chain. That’s not back-office thinking — that’s payments as a product.

This shift reflects a broader trend highlighted by Harvard Business School professor Marco Iansiti, who notes that the firms thriving in the digital economy are those that “turn operational capabilities — including payments — into platforms for learning, adaptation, and value creation” (Iansiti & Lakhani, Competing in the Age of AI, 2020).

Payments and the cash flow equation

For CFOs, the most obvious link between payments and growth is cash flow. Poorly managed payment processes delay receivables, strain vendor trust, and create unnecessary friction in procurement and sales cycles.

But with the right strategy, payments can become a tool for unlocking working capital:

• Dynamic discounting lets buyers pay early in exchange for a discount, strengthening supplier partnerships while protecting margins.

• Virtual cards allow businesses to control spend more precisely and extend DPO without hurting vendor relationships.

• Integrated payables systems simplify reconciliation across payment types — ACH, wire, card — reducing admin costs and increasing financial visibility.

According to a 2022 Deloitte report, “payment timing is now a top-three determinant of vendor satisfaction in B2B ecosystems.” That means how and when you pay can materially impact your standing in the supply chain — and your ability to negotiate favorable terms.

Fintech partnerships and the modern CFO

As the complexity of B2B commerce increases, legacy banks and ERPs are struggling to keep up with the flexibility modern businesses require. This is why many CFOs are turning to fintechs for faster, smarter, more integrated payment solutions.

Fintech platforms such as Adyen, Stripe, and Kyriba are bringing new capabilities to the table:

• Real-time cash position dashboards

• API-driven integrations across geographies and subsidiaries

• Embedded payment experiences tailored to customers and suppliers

According to McKinsey (2023), “Fintechs are setting new benchmarks for user experience, data access, and embedded services — and CFOs are turning to them not out of convenience, but necessity.”

By working with fintech partners, CFOs can shorten the path from transaction to cash, enable new business models (like subscription or usage-based pricing), and respond faster to macroeconomic shifts.

A shift in mindset

CFOs are no longer just guardians of financial hygiene — they are becoming architects of business model innovation. To fulfill this role, they need to see payments not as a sunk cost, but as a source of leverage.

The key questions modern CFOs are asking:

• How can payments drive repeat business and improve customer experience?

• Can we use payment data to make better decisions?

• How do we turn settlement processes into value-generating touchpoints?

By embedding these questions into the finance strategy, businesses can unlock new efficiencies and open new revenue streams — while building resilience into their operations.

In B2B commerce, where complexity is the norm and trust is currency, payment innovation is not just a nice-to-have. It’s a growth imperative.

References

• Iansiti, M., & Lakhani, K. (2020). Competing in the Age of AI. Harvard Business Review Press.

• Deloitte. (2022). The future of B2B payments: Accelerating innovation in a digital-first world.

• McKinsey & Company. (2023). The next generation of B2B payments.

• Harvard Business Review. (2023). How fintech is reshaping the CFO’s agenda.

• Accenture. (2022). Payments get personal: How embedded payments are driving growth.