From Shock Absorption to Strategic Advantage: Rethinking Supply Chain Finance

For decades, banks have been at the center of global commerce.

Maybe your first acquisition was funded with a syndicated loan. Or you relied on a revolving credit facility to manage seasonal working capital. Perhaps you coordinated multi-bank relationships to optimize liquidity.

Yet when it comes to supplier payments — arguably one of the most strategic touchpoints between companies and their partners — many banks are still approaching the opportunity through a narrow, transactional lens.

At PrimeRevenue, we believe that needs to change.

Supplier payments are no longer a back-office function. In today’s environment of persistent disruption, quest for greater efficiency, rising capital costs and global supply chain volatility, how a company pays its suppliers has become a core lever for competitive advantage. Certainly, key for maintaining a competitive supplier experience.

And while fintechs like PrimeRevenue are helping companies modernize this space via automation, predictive analytics and other value-added services, the traditional banking sector has been slower to evolve.

That reluctance may be costing them and their clients more than they realize.

The Untapped Potential of Payables

When companies look to improve working capital, they often start with the payables side of the balance sheet. Extending terms, improving days payable outstanding (DPO) and streamlining accounts payable operations are longstanding tools in the treasury toolkit.

But in the past, those moves were often inward-facing and centered on the company’s own financial metrics, not the broader ecosystem in which it operates. Suppliers, particularly small and mid-sized ones, were frequently left to absorb the impact without a clear value intent for them.

That mindset is no longer sustainable.

Today, supplier payment strategy directly influences supplier loyalty, pricing, performance and operational risk. Companies that can offer early payment, flexible terms and real-time visibility into payment status are far more likely to retain critical suppliers, negotiate favorable pricing and mitigate supply chain disruptions.

Banks, however, have largely treated supplier payments as a processing function. Limited funding options, rigid onboarding processes and siloed systems make it difficult to deliver the type of supplier-centric experience modern businesses require.

But this also presents an opportunity for banks – if they will accept the challenge.

Bank-Agnostic Platforms are Raising the Bar

One reason many enterprises have turned to fintech platforms like PrimeRevenue is the ability to operate across a bank-agnostic network. What does that mean? Instead of being tied to a single funder, credit or transaction relationship, companies can access a multi-funder ecosystem that allows them to optimize for capital cost, availability and risk.  With regard to payments, flexibility to make payments via multiple methods, jurisdictions and timing are becoming more critical to elevate the buyer-supplier value.

This flexibility isn’t just a feature, it’s now a requirement. In volatile markets, funding and payment agility becomes strategic. The ability to shift liquidity sources, adjust payment terms and respond in real time to supply chain disruptions creates meaningful competitive advantage for both buyer and supplier.

Fintechs have responded by building infrastructure designed for adaptability. Banks, on the other hand, often still lag behind, bound by legacy systems and risk frameworks that make this kind of flexibility difficult to deliver at scale.

A better approach is for banks to form partnerships that streamline how people utilize their services while leveraging the innovation of the fintech community.

“By seamlessly integrating payments, lending, insurance and other financial products into non-financial platforms, embedded finance is making financial interactions more accessible, seamless and intuitive,” states an April 8 World Economic Forum article.

“This rapid evolution is sparking discussions about the future of traditional banking institutions. By fostering strategic partnerships, financial institutions can leverage the strengths of fintech disruptors, ensuring they remain relevant in an increasingly digital and diversified economic landscape.”

Rather than view fintechs as competition, forward-thinking banks should see this as a roadmap. The companies that use platforms like PrimeRevenue still value banking relationships. But they want those relationships to evolve alongside the needs of their suppliers and ecosystems.

Supplier-Centricity: The New Standard

For years, B2B payment innovation has focused on buyer convenience — streamlining approval workflows, digitizing invoices and improving internal efficiency. But in 2025, buyer convenience alone is not enough.

Suppliers now expect speed, transparency and choice. They want to know when they’ll be paid. They want flexible options to accelerate cash flow. And they want frictionless onboarding that doesn’t require navigating multiple portals or complex compliance processes.

Banks are uniquely positioned to meet these needs, but only if they reframe their role in the value chain. Supplier-centric payment solutions are not just about faster wires or better portals. They’re about building trust, reducing friction and enhancing the financial health of suppliers at every tier.

Fintechs like PrimeRevenue have invested heavily in supplier experience because we know it drives program success. Higher supplier engagement means higher utilization, greater efficiency and ultimately stronger supply chain resilience. Banks that embrace this mindset can play a more strategic role with their clients.

Borderless Payments as a Growth Enabler

Another area where banks have an opportunity to lead but often lag is in enabling borderless supplier payments. Yet many B2B payment processes are still hindered by fragmented banking networks, currency limitations and compliance barriers. This not only delays payments but limits the supplier base companies can tap into.

At PrimeRevenue, we’ve made global interoperability a core part of our value proposition. Whether a supplier is based in São Paulo, Shanghai or Stuttgart, our platform enables real-time, secure payments that are compliant with local regulations and optimized for speed and scale.

Banks with global reach and compliance expertise should be leading this charge. By embedding payment capabilities within borderless, supplier-centric platforms, banks can extend their value proposition and relevance far beyond transaction processing.

A Call to Action for the Banking Industry

Banks have the infrastructure, trust and balance sheets to be central players in the future of B2B payments. But to seize that role, they must rethink how they approach supply chain finance.

That means moving from a transactional mindset to a platform mindset. It means shifting from a focus on internal controls to shared value across the buyer-supplier ecosystem. And it means recognizing that the battleground for customer loyalty and margin performance now includes how well a company supports its suppliers financially.

We’re here to push the ecosystem forward by modernizing the infrastructure, expanding the funding landscape and centering the experience around the people and businesses who rely on timely, flexible and transparent payments to thrive.

For banks willing to engage in that transformation, the opportunity is enormous. For those who don’t, the risk is being left behind.

At PrimeRevenue, we’re helping companies and their partners build stronger, more resilient value chains. And we believe banks have a critical role to play in that journey.

The conversation starts now. Will you lead it?