{
  "id": 10439394,
  "title": "Working Capital Lost Its Strategic Edge in 2026. The Best CFOs Are Already Getting It Back.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/working-capital-lost-its-strategic-edge-in-2026-the-best-cfos-are",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-28T12:00:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PYMNTS",
    "slug": "pymnts",
    "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/loans/working-capital/2026/working-capital-lost-its-strategic-edge-in-2026-the-best-cfos-are-already-getting-it-back/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2026, working capital lost its strategic advantage as CFOs found alternative solutions to manage cash flow. Prior to this shift, firms would pay suppliers early to capture discounts and leverage this as a competitive edge. However, by summer, companies stopped paying suppliers early as their largest customers began paying invoices on the due date. This caused cash to arrive unpredictably, forcing some companies to draw on credit lines for the first time in years.\n\nThe PYMNTS Intelligence Working Capital Index, which surveyed CFOs and treasurers at North American firms with $50 million to $1 billion in revenue, showed that the Working Capital Efficiency Index dropped 6% to 51.6, marking a decline in performance. The report found that early payments to suppliers fell to 17% from 37%, and firms reported unpredictable financing needs tripled. Planned growth as a reason for borrowing decreased from 33% to 28%. Only supplier integration improved, mostly due to the bottom tier catching up.\n\nClient payments played a significant role in this change, with early receipts collapsing to 12% from 35%. Two-thirds of receivables now land on the due date, causing uncertainty and instability in cash flow. This uncertainty led to firms relying more on external working capital solutions, with 83% using them, a series high. These solutions include bank lines of credit, corporate and virtual cards, and working capital loans. The shift towards using external solutions was driven by the need to bridge cash flow gaps without applying for new funding.\n\nTop-performing firms continued to use working capital strategically, while bottom performers relied more heavily on external solutions. The adoption of artificial intelligence in treasury management became a key differentiator, with top performers using AI to forecast cash shortfalls and decide on credit line usage at a much higher rate than their bottom-performing counterparts. Those at the top of the tier let AI make decisions 93% of the time, while those at the bottom only allowed it 69% of the time. This shift in AI usage highlights the importance of predictability in working capital management, with the top performers maintaining clear returns on AI at scale.",
  "summary": "Picture the CFO at a $300 million industrial distributor. For three years she paid her key suppliers on day 10 of a net 30 invoice and pocketed a 2% discount for the trouble. It was policy. Nobody had to approve it. Then, sometime last spring, her three largest customers stopped paying her early. They didn’t […] The post Working Capital Lost Its Strategic Edge in 2026. The Best CFOs Are Already…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}