Nearly 60 percent of CFOs say automating accounts payable and related finance processes improves cash flow management, and 70 percent of companies with automated AP report significant cost savings by reducing manual work and errors. Quadient
Payments have always been at the heart of commerce, but for many businesses today, the way money moves can make or break operational efficiency, supply chain resilience, and customer experience. Whether it’s a marketplace coordinating thousands of seller payouts, a logistics provider juggling vendor disbursements, or a construction firm managing multinational contractor payments, the limitations of traditional payment flows are increasingly visible, and increasingly costly.
As finance teams examine how money moves, three trends rise to the top:
One-size-fits-all payments don’t work for complex ecosystems.
Bank-to-bank rails are becoming a smarter, lower-cost alternative.
Automation is essential across every payment touchpoint.
Payments strategies need to reflect the reality of each company
Traditional payment models were built for simple buyer–seller interactions: invoice, pay, reconcile. But in many modern ecosystems — from marketplaces to multi-tier supply chains in logistics and construction — payments are far from simple. These are complex, interconnected ecosystems, with:
- Multiple stakeholders (contractors, vendors, partners)
- Non-standard payout structures
- Variable timing, conditions, and requirements
- International or cross-currency needs
- High throughput or high value transactions
Payment systems that assume a single merchant and a single buyer quickly show their limitations. Marketplaces have already learned this lesson: Rigid payout cycles, generic payment rails, and lack of payment flexibility lead to seller churn, higher support costs, and friction that competitors can exploit.
But this isn’t a marketplace-only problem. Consider:
Construction
Crews, subcontractors, and material suppliers all need to be paid on different schedules, sometimes based on milestones or progress billing. Construction suppliers often carry very large materials balances with highly dynamic pricing.
Logistics
Carriers, drivers, and freight partners expect fast, predictable payouts for tight cash flow operations. Independent drivers are not expected to go out-of-pocket for operating expenses, yet need to adhere to spending controls imposed by the company.
Oil, gas & energy projects
Layered contracting, includes exchanges with global partners, and are subject to different regulatory and settlement constraints. Pricing is highly variable and payments are subject to confirmation through every step of the process.
Time for Pay-by-bank
For years, businesses have relied on network card rails not because they’re ideal but because they’re ubiquitous. Today, bank-to-bank payments — often referred to as pay-by-bank, ACH, or e-check — are introduced as true alternatives:
Lower cost: Cards carry interchange fees that add up, especially at scale. Money movement from account-to-account eliminates these fees and reduces overall transaction costs. Checks require excessive manual intervention and management, even without fraud or lost check cycles.
Faster settlement: Modern bank rails can deliver real-time or near-real-time settlement, improving cash flow predictability and supplier/partner satisfaction. Happier partners deliver on-time, reducing project risk.
Better for large volumes: When you’re moving millions of dollars across thousands of accounts, bank rails scale far more cost-efficiently than card networks or checks. Traceability and transparency are better managed, and systematic fraud controls are baked-in.
Fewer obstacles: Pay-by-bank flows don’t depend on credit access or card issuance, allowing broader participation across global supply chains.
Whether you’re paying tens, hundreds, or thousands of parties, moving money directly from bank account to bank account unlocks liquidity and enhances predictability. When settlements are instant or near instant, finance teams can forecast more accurately — a critical advantage in volatile markets.
The real payoff? Automation
Even with better rails, many organizations still fight legacy processes: NACHA file creation, manual reconciliation, ad-hoc uploads, sluggish returns handling, and sporadic settlement visibility. These manual choke points waste time and introduce risk.
Here’s what automation means in practice:
- API-driven workflows replace manual file uploads
- Automatic reconciliation eliminates error-prone matching of ERP vs. bank
- Real-time validation prevents returns and exceptions before they happen
- Instant alerts and retry logic minimize failed payments
- Embedded compliance and onboarding reduce friction for payees
For complex supply chains, this opens the door to improved operational efficiency. Finance and AP teams spend less time babysitting payments and more time on strategic work, like managing cash flow and optimizing yield. On the other side, suppliers and vendors get paid faster and with fewer surprises, increasing trust and retention.
In industries with many payees — think freight partners or subcontractors — automation isn’t just about reducing workload, it’s about enabling scale without proportional cost increases.
Orchestrating automated ACH workflows
The key to optimizing payments is via a singular platform, integrated into an existing infrastructure.
End-to-end payment orchestration
The most effective ACH strategies rely on a single orchestration layer that integrates cleanly into existing systems via a single API. Rather than stitching together tools, teams need a centralized platform that coordinates initiation, routing, settlement, and reporting across all ACH use cases, without disrupting current infrastructure.
Automation by default
Manual processes introduce cost, delays, and errors. Automation includes reconciliation, returns handling, exception management, and validation logic. Transactions post automatically, statuses update in real-time, and operational teams gain visibility without relying on batch files or manual intervention.
Built-in risk and compliance controls
Compliance shouldn’t be bolted on after the fact. Leading platforms embed KYC, fraud monitoring, and regulatory requirements directly into transaction flows. This ensures payments move quickly while maintaining strong controls, reducing risk exposure without slowing down the user experience.
Smarter payments as a competitive edge
As businesses in logistics, construction, oil & gas, and digital marketplaces rethink payments strategies, payouts must fit the structure of the business, not vice versa.Implementing bank-based rails (ACH, pay-by-bank) drive cost-efficient, predictable, and scalable payments.
This combination moves payments from a necessary cost center to a strategic enabler of growth, trust, and competitive advantage.
