B2B: The Rise of Real-Time Payments

Real-Time B2B Payments: Toward Instant Transactions Between Businesses

For years, real-time payments (or real-time payments, RTP) have been held up as the holy grail of financial transactions. And in B2C, that promise has been delivered: a transfer via Paylib, Lydia, PIX, or Zelle takes just seconds. In B2B, though, it’s a different story. Why is it so hard to bring that same speed to business payments?

This article breaks down why instant payments are more complex between businesses than between consumers, the technical and regulatory barriers to adoption, and the role central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) could play in reshaping the landscape.

Why B2B Is Lagging Behind B2C

In B2C, the payment journey is relatively simple. The customer clicks “pay” or taps their card, and the transaction is settled. In B2B, a payment comes with an invoice, contractual terms, approval delays, and accounting constraints. None of that can be automated quite as easily.

Three major differences explain the gap:

1. High-value transactions and tighter risk management

A B2B transaction can reach several million euros. For amounts of that size, companies require additional checks: authentication, reconciliation, fraud detection, compliance with internal policies... all of that takes time.

2. Legacy IT systems

Many companies still rely on older architectures, such as SWIFT systems or poorly connected ERPs, designed to run in batches rather than in real time.

3. A wide range of stakeholders

Where a B2C payment involves a customer and a merchant, a B2B payment often involves procurement, accounting, financial control, the bank, and sometimes even legal teams. Each step introduces a potential point of friction.

As Gomber et al. (2018) note, financial innovation is never linear: the more complex an ecosystem is, the slower the transformation.

📘 Reference: Gomber, P., Kauffman, R. J., Parker, C., & Weber, B. W. (2018). On the Fintech Revolution: Interpreting the Forces of Innovation, Disruption, and Transformation in Financial Services. Journal of Management Information Systems, 35(1), 220–265.

What’s Holding Back Real-Time Adoption

Even when the will is there, infrastructure doesn’t always keep up. Several obstacles are slowing the integration of instant payments into B2B flows.

Fragmented systems, outdated formats

Networks like SEPA Instant already exist, but very few ERPs or TMS platforms are truly connected to them. Many processes are still designed for overnight runs or batch files.

🔍 Example: a supplier using SAP may need an overnight process to update balances, reconcile payments, and generate journal entries. Even if the money arrives instantly, the system itself still doesn’t process in real time.

Heavy regulatory constraints

KYC obligations, anti-money laundering requirements, and tax controls significantly slow down intercompany payments. And these checks are rarely automated.

According to a 2022 Deloitte study, 61% of CFOs see compliance processes as the main barrier to real-time adoption.

Greater complexity in cross-border payments

B2B payments often cross time zones, incompatible banking systems, and different currencies. Yet very few instant payment networks operate across borders.

The BIS (Bank for International Settlements) notes in its 2021 Quarterly Review that synchronizing clearing and settlement cycles is one of the biggest challenges for international real-time payments.

📘 Reference: Bank for International Settlements (2021). Cross-border payment systems and the role of central banks. BIS Quarterly Review.

Could CBDCs Be the Catalyst for Real-Time B2B Payments?

Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) could change the game. By digitizing central bank money and enabling direct settlement between economic actors, they make it possible to bypass intermediaries and deferred processing.

The potential benefits are significant:

• Instant finality: the payment is irrevocable, validated directly by the central bank

• Programmability: payment can be tied to delivery, a project milestone, or a contractual clause

• Cross-border interoperability: multi-CBDC platforms tested by several countries show that interbank settlements can happen in seconds, even across different currencies

🔍 Example: as part of Project Dunbar, the BIS, together with the central banks of Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and South Africa, demonstrated the feasibility of real-time multi-currency settlements on a shared platform.

📘 Reference: Bank for International Settlements, 2022. Project Dunbar: International Settlements Using Multi-CBDCs.

Several sensitive questions still need to be resolved: privacy, system governance, and how CBDCs will coexist with commercial money and traditional banks.

What to Expect in the Coming Years

The technology building blocks are already there. But for B2B to move to real time, it will take more than a new payment rail. It will require:

• Modernizing ERPs and treasury tools

• Wider adoption of APIs and the ISO 20022 standard

• Simpler regulatory standards, especially for cross-border exchanges

• A willingness to optimize internal workflows

Until then, B2B payments will likely remain a hybrid model: fast on the surface, but still slowed down behind the scenes.

The pressure isn’t easing. Between tighter supply chains, instant financing, and supplier experience, companies won’t have the luxury of waiting much longer. If infrastructure evolves at the right pace and CBDCs find their place, then maybe instant B2B payments will stop being a promise and become the norm.

‍

‍