The B2B payments landscape has changed. Is your AP still stuck in the past?

Table of Contents

Introduction
Modern B2B payments trends
Why integrated procure-to-pay matters
The cost of staying with “it works”
Real-world impact of integrated AP + payments
From tactical to strategic finance
Take action: optimize your source-to-pay process

Hear what's covered in this article:

The adage “if it ain't broke, don’t fix it” really only works in certain scenarios. For many AP teams, legacy payment processes might work, but they don’t work well enough for today’s finance demands.

Manual steps, disconnected systems, and outdated tools may still process invoices and send payments, but they also create friction, cost more in the long run, and hold teams back from delivering strategic value.

That’s why businesses are moving beyond piecemeal fixes with integrated procure-to-pay automation, a connected approach that links invoices, approvals, and payments into a single, intelligent workflow.

Modern B2B payments trends

The shift away from paper checks continues to accelerate. While checks dominated B2B payments for decades, electronic payments, including ACH, virtual cards, and real-time transfers, now make up the majority of transactions.

According to Ardent Partners Metrics that Matter, in 2025, epayments make up 68% of all payments made by the average enterprise. Touchless invoice processing and automated approvals have moved from nice-to-have to industry expectations, enabling finance teams to focus on strategy rather than repetitive manual work.

Despite these trends, some organizations still rely on partial solutions or disconnected systems, which slow operations and create unnecessary risks. The reality is clear: payments alone aren’t enough. True efficiency comes from connecting the entire source-to-pay process.

Why integrated procure-to-pay matters

Source-to-pay automation links every step of the AP process:

Sourcing & purchase orders ensure spend is controlled and budgeted
Invoice capture & validation eliminates errors and reduces manual entry.
Approval workflows streamline multi-level approvals for faster processing.
Payment execution sends funds securely via ACH, virtual card, or real-time transfer.
Reconciliation & analytics gain full visibility into spend, AP performance, and cash flow.

When these steps are connected, finance teams gain end-to-end visibility, faster approvals, and reduced manual intervention, while maintaining full control over cash outflows and supplier relationships.

The cost of staying with "it works"

Even if legacy processes function, they often:

Create manual bottlenecks that slow approvals

Increase fraud and compliance risks

Limit visibility into cash flow and supplier obligations

Force AP teams into reactive, low-value work rather than strategic planning

Companies that delay full AP automation risk falling behind their competitors in terms of efficiency, supplier trust, and operational resilience.

Real-world impact of integrated AP + payments

Companies that adopt fully integrated AP automation report measurable results:

Faster invoice processing: touchless invoices and automated approvals reduce cycle times

Cost savings: automation eliminates manual work, paper, and reconciliation errors

Improved cash flow visibility: real-time insights allow proactive financial decisions

Fraud reduction: end-to-end automation decreases risk exposure

Supplier satisfaction: vendors are paid faster and securely, via their preferred method

For example, best-in-class Medius customers achieve:

99.3% touchless capture rate for PO invoices and 98.9% for non-PO invoices
Total invoice processing cycle of 2 days (non-PO invoices)
Average approval time of .6 days (non-PO invoices)
Seamless multi-entity AP automation across global operations

These metrics highlight that integrating payments into the whole AP process is a competitive advantage, not just a convenience.

See more stats like this

From tactical to strategic finance

By adopting an end-to-end source-to-pay approach, finance teams can move from reactive processing to strategic cash management. AP staff can focus on analysis, forecasting, and supplier relationships, while automation handles repetitive tasks.

Finance leaders must ask themselves:

“Are my AP and payments processes optimized as a connected, end-to-end system, or am I relying on fragmented tools that slow efficiency and increase risk?”

The answer determines whether a company stays competitive or falls behind.