CFOs: Rethinking Payments as a Growth Lever

In many companies, payments are still seen as a simple administrative formality — the final step in a transaction. But as digital commerce becomes the norm, that view is not only outdated, it can also hold back growth.

More and more CFOs are realizing that payments are about more than finance. When designed well, they can become a driver of performance, loyalty, and competitive differentiation.

Rethinking payments isn’t just about digitizing them: it’s about rethinking how value is created across the business.

Moving from a support function to a strategic lever

Traditionally, payments have been optimized around three criteria: speed, cost, and security. But that approach overlooks the strategic potential of payments. They sit at the heart of revenue realization, supplier relationships, and cash flow health.

Take Amazon Business as an example: the platform has built in flexible payment terms, embedded financing tools, and instant settlement systems into its B2B offering. The result: a seamless buying experience for customers, better predictability for sellers, and a more integrated value chain. It’s no longer a cost center — it’s a product building block.

This shift was analyzed by Harvard professor Marco Iansiti, who argues that the highest-performing companies are those that turn “their operational functions — including payments — into platforms for learning, adaptation, and value creation” (Competing in the Age of AI, 2020).

Payments at the center of cash flow dynamics

For a CFO, the link between payments and growth starts with cash flow. Poorly designed payment processes slow down collections, damage supplier relationships, and create unnecessary friction in buying and selling flows.

But with the right strategy, payments can become a cash generation tool:

• Dynamic discounting makes it possible to pay earlier in exchange for a discount, while strengthening supplier partnerships.

• Virtual cards give you tighter spending control while extending payment terms, without hurting supplier relationships.

• Embedded payment platforms simplify processes across multiple channels (bank transfers, cards, direct debits), reduce administrative costs, and improve financial visibility.

According to a 2022 Deloitte report, “payment timing has become one of the top three drivers of supplier satisfaction in B2B ecosystems.” In other words, how you pay directly affects supply chain resilience — and the company’s negotiating power.

Why CFOs are teaming up with fintechs to transform payments

ERPs and traditional banks often struggle to deliver the flexibility, integration, and agility businesses need today. That’s why more and more CFOs are turning to fintech partners to innovate around payments.

Platforms like Stripe, Adyen, and Kyriba bring modular, API-first solutions designed for performance:

• Real-time visibility into cash flow

• Automation of international payment flows

• Embedded payment experiences for customers and suppliers

As a 2023 McKinsey report notes: “Fintechs are redefining the standards for user experience, data access, and embedded services — CFOs are paying attention not because it’s trendy, but because they have to.”

By working with fintechs, finance teams shorten the gap between transaction and collection, explore new business models (subscription, pay-as-you-go), and adapt their strategy faster when economic shocks hit.

A new mindset for finance teams

CFOs are no longer just guardians of compliance: they are becoming architects of performance. To play that role, they need to see payments not as a cost to control, but as a value-creation tool.

The right questions to ask today:

• How can payments improve the customer experience and drive loyalty?

• Can payment data be used to better steer the business?

• How can settlement moments be turned into relationship-building or commercial opportunities?

By putting these questions at the center of financial strategy, the business becomes more efficient, more resilient — and better equipped to grow.

In B2B, where complexity is the norm and trust is everything, payments are no longer a commodity. They’re a strategic weapon.

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.

‍