Half of Suppliers Remain Invisible to Corporate CFO Systems
A chief financial officer can only optimize the cash they can see. An invoice arriving outside an integrated B2B environment gives finance less time and potentially less information to decide how the resulting obligation should be managed. Until recently, the inconvenience of missing or incomplete information was relatively avoidable. But in today’s real-time, always-on, 24/7 […] The post Half of…
Corporate CFOs can only optimize cash flow when they can see it, but many suppliers remain invisible to these systems. In today's real-time commerce, working capital optimization relies on timely information. Two companies buying the same goods under identical terms may have different flexibility due to integration status. Of the major industries measured, roughly half and in some cases 60% of suppliers are outside integrated order and payment systems.
This leaves a significant portion of commercial activity beyond the infrastructure designed to inform finance about obligations and payment options. Working capital management is now evaluated earlier in the process, with metrics like days payable outstanding, days sales outstanding, and inventory levels. However, these measures do not account for the quality of information entering the system.
In 2025, just 51% of agriculture suppliers were integrated, followed by 49% in media and technology and commercial travel, 47% in retail and marketplaces, 44% in construction, 43% in fleet and mobility, and 42% in healthcare. Manufacturing and professional services had the lowest integration rates at 40%. Integration can provide more decision-making options regarding payment timing, turning an administrative consequence into a measurable and financeable decision.
Written by urgent.news from PYMNTS's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
