The Next Frontier: Why Embedded B2B Finance Is Breaking Out in 2025

In recent years, embedded finance has become nearly synonymous with consumer-facing use cases: Think payments built into ride-sharing apps; buy now, pay later (BNPL) buttons at online checkouts; or car insurance added seamlessly into the vehicle purchasing process. These use cases redefined convenience, showing how financial tools could disappear into the background of everyday transactions.

However, as these retail examples have matured, embedded business-to-business (B2B) applications have evolved significantly. In 2025, they represent a massive, rapidly growing market. Heightened demand for liquidity, instant digital credentials and automated workflows is pushing embedded B2B finance into the spotlight. Businesses today need tools that not only enhance efficiency but also unlock new profit pools. Working-capital products, digital issuance of virtual cards and application programming interface (API)-driven integration are now essential elements of a modernized enterprise toolkit. Companies that act on these opportunities will not only streamline their operations but also capture recurring revenues and strengthen customer loyalty. Those that hesitate, meanwhile, risk being left behind in the next wave of digital commerce transformation.

• From Retail Roots to B2B Breakout
• Beyond Retail Playbooks—The Barriers Unique to B2B
• Beyond Convenience—Capturing B2B’s Bigger Prize
• Putting B2B Embedded Finance Into Action

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From Retail Roots to B2B Breakout

Consumer payments laid the groundwork for embedded finance, normalizing seamless checkouts and mobile wallets. Now those same forces are moving into B2B, where larger transaction volumes stand to benefit even more from new embedded financial technologies.

What began with consumer convenience is burgeoning in B2B.

The benefits of consumer embedded payments are now manifesting in the B2B sphere, where convenience, speed and security are just as valuable—if not more so. For businesses, embedding payments within core platforms and supply chains removes inefficiencies while aligning with the growing consumerization of B2B transactions. Buyers and suppliers increasingly demand payment experiences that mirror the simplicity of consumer apps—seamless, embedded and with minimal steps. In B2B, that means embedding payments directly into platforms like enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, procurement tools and vertical software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications.

58%

of small businesses reported inflation as a top financial challenge in 2025, marking a new high.

For example, Shopify integrates financial services—such as Shopify Capital for merchant loans and Shopify Balance for cash management—directly into its ecosystem, helping merchants access funding and manage finances without leaving the platform. Walmart, via a JPMorgan Chase partnership, accelerates marketplace seller payments, thereby improving liquidity and seller experience. Through embedded banking partnerships, Uber provides instant access to earnings and digital cards for drivers, deepening loyalty through embedded financial utilities. Toast similarly leverages its point-of-sale (POS) software to offer merchant advances based on real-time transaction data, expanding value for restaurateurs. FreshBooks partners with YouLend to embed revenue-based financing directly into its accounting platform, lowering barriers to business credit. SaaS providers BILL and AvidXchange embed payments, working capital and FinTech services within accounts payable (AP)-focused platforms, evolving AP from administrative tasks to strategic, revenue-generating functions for business clients.

The economics are even more compelling for embedded B2B than for retail.

The numbers make the case clear. Working capital flows dwarf retail transactions and, once embedded, tend to be stickier. In 2025, three forces are accelerating embedded B2B adoption:

• Macroeconomic pressure: Higher interest rates and inflation are pushing firms to speed up cash conversion. Worries about inflation reached a new high among small businesses in Q1 this year, with 58% reporting it as a top concern. This factor makes embedded lending and working capital solutions especially valuable, as these tools can strengthen cash flow, streamline operations and offer more flexible payment options for both suppliers and their business customers.
• Technology shifts: APIs and cloud-native infrastructure are making integration more feasible, providing fast, flexible embedded payments implementation that was impractical even a few years ago.
• Digital issuance: Platforms gain granular spend control and top-of-wallet positioning by instantly issuing virtual cards—a capability now deemed essential by leading payments analysts. In 2025, Javelin Strategy & Research awarded FinTech Galileo “Best in Class” status on its Digital Issuance Provider Scorecard, highlighting the competitive necessity for real-time credentialing, advanced wallet provisioning and embedded digital security. The report concluded that digital payment issuance is no longer optional but a required offering for platforms aiming to capture customer loyalty.

Embedded finance is becoming foundational to enterprise commerce.

Recent moves highlight this momentum. Legal-tech provider Centerbase integrated Stripe payments directly into its practice management software, letting law firm clients pay invoices without leaving the platform. Similarly, Zuora and Nuvei partnered to offer global recurring payments, enabling enterprises to streamline reconciliation and authorization across borders. These examples reflect a cross-industry shift, with embedded finance infrastructure evolving from national solutions to modular global platforms, enabling mid-sized firms to streamline operations and scale without complexity.

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Beyond Retail Playbooks—The Barriers Unique to B2B

Unlike retail use cases, embedded B2B finance must navigate higher-value transactions, stricter compliance and legacy infrastructure. These barriers raise the stakes, making execution more complex but also more rewarding for businesses that get it right.

Bigger risks mean higher stakes for B2B embedded finance.

Embedded B2B payments

demand much more sophisticated tools than consumer-facing embedded payments.

Unlike retail, where transactions are small and risks diffuse, B2B finance deals with higher dollar values, multiple stakeholders and heavier compliance burdens. These uses demand more sophisticated tools than those for retail transactions. Embedded working capital products require access to real-time financial data combined with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven risk models to manage greater credit exposure. Moreover, platforms that issue instant virtual cards must meet enterprise-grade regulatory and security standards.

For example, in retail, embedding a BNPL button at checkout can be relatively straightforward. In B2B, however, embedding financial services requires orchestrating multiple integrations across currencies, jurisdictions and regulatory regimes. Even establishing a virtual International Bank Account Number (IBAN) can trigger extensive compliance reviews. Embedded business solutions cannot simply echo consumer playbooks. They must operate within stricter frameworks that balance speed, compliance and risk management.

B2B embedded finance faces higher implementation roadblocks than in retail.

Legacy infrastructure also hinders embedded B2B adoption. Many businesses continue to operate on outdated ERP and invoicing systems, with some still relying on paper-based workflows. These manual processes create delays, limit visibility and result in costly inefficiencies, compounding macroeconomic pressures.

With rising costs, shrinking margins and ongoing volatility, CFOs are under pressure to cut costs while driving growth. Many face the steep trade-off of modernizing financial systems or falling behind, yet execution requires capable partners and scalable technology. For many businesses, the impetus to upgrade is strong, but without the right enabler, the complexity of B2B environments delays adoption.

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Beyond Convenience—Capturing B2B’s Bigger Prize

Where consumer embedded finance emphasizes convenience, B2B platforms are unlocking deeper profit opportunities. By embedding credit, virtual cards and automated workflows, they are transforming financial operations into engines of growth and customer loyalty.

B2B platforms are targeting profitability.

Where retail embedded finance focused on checkout convenience, B2B platforms are embedding tools that transform finance from a cost center into a profit driver. Embedded tools like supplier financing, dynamic payables and B2B BNPL are redefining relationships, turning financial flows into recurring revenues.

Digital issuance is central to this shift: Virtual cards not only speed supplier onboarding but also give platforms precise control over spend, anchoring transaction volume within their ecosystems. Meanwhile, automation in AP and accounts receivable (AR) eliminates friction, reduces manual errors and creates sticky revenue streams.

$15.6T

Projected value of the embedded B2B market by 2030

For B2B operations, embedding finance has become a growth strategy. Rather than outsourcing payments, invoicing or credit, platforms are now building financial functionality directly into workflows. With the embedded B2B market projected to reach $15.6 trillion by 2030, quadrupling its current size of $4.1 trillion, this transformation is now a top business priority for 2025.

B2B embedded finance aligns with shifting user expectations.

Today’s CFOs and finance teams increasingly want B2B tools that match the speed and seamlessness of embedded consumer experiences. By meeting these expectations, platforms differentiate themselves in competitive markets and foster stronger loyalty.

FinTech infrastructure providers are enabling this shift with modular, API-first architectures. Galileo, for example, is helping SoFi scale embedded finance, turning it into a key growth engine. With seamless payment and lending integrations, Galileo empowers financial and nonfinancial firms to embed banking capabilities directly into their platforms.

By abstracting away the complexity, these providers create “invisible infrastructure”—financial rails that run quietly in the background but deliver major value. This allows businesses to embed financial functionality without diverting focus from their core offerings. Those that succeed do not think like traditional providers but like enablers, partnering strategically to deliver embedded finance as a service.

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Putting B2B Embedded Finance Into Action

Consumer embedded finance proved the model, but B2B is where the largest prize lies. Companies that act now will shape tomorrow’s financial rails. As embedded finance rapidly matures, the window for B2B firms to establish leadership is narrowing. Early movers can capture efficiency, loyalty and new profit streams, while those that hesitate risk losing ground to faster-moving competitors.

PYMNTS Intelligence offers the following actionable roadmap for companies considering implementing B2B embedded finance tools:

• Evaluate integration opportunities within core platforms. Identify workflows—such as AP/AR, credit or supplier payments—where embedded tools can streamline operations and deepen client engagement.
• Partner with proven infrastructure providers. Select API-first, compliance-ready enablers that can scale across markets and regulatory environments.
• Shift finance from a cost center to a growth driver. Use embedded models not just to cut friction but also to create recurring revenue streams and strengthen long-term customer relationships.

The embedded B2B finance breakout in 2025 is a rare inflection point. Platforms that seize this moment won’t just serve customers better—they’ll position themselves as the infrastructure behind the next generation of global commerce.

The embedded finance revolution that transformed consumer payments is now reshaping B2B commerce—with far greater stakes. In 2025, businesses are embedding working capital, virtual cards and automated workflows directly into their platforms, turning financial operations into growth engines. With the embedded B2B market projected to reach $15.6 trillion by 2030, companies that act now—partnering with the right infrastructure providers and treating finance as a strategic differentiator—will define the next generation of digital commerce.”

Sandy Weil
Chief Revenue Officer, Galileo

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