Back-office payments are starting to look a lot more like consumer checkout, and that shift could determine which firms see their cash position clearly and which keep flying blind.
The Business Payments Tracker from PYMNTS Intelligence, “Virtual Mobility: How Mobile Virtual Cards Elevate B2B Payments,” argues that paper checks and other manual tools are still draining time and money, while virtual cards, especially when used through mobile wallets, can tighten security, speed settlement and automate the work that clogs accounts payable.
- 73% of businesses have not automated supplier payments, limiting visibility into money movement and leaving many stuck with manual processes.
- 14% of midmarket firms plan to adopt virtual cards in the next 12 months, which the report describes as a 322% increase versus current adoption levels.
- 82% of merchants plan to expand digital wallet adoption, a sign that wallet rails are becoming a default expectation for speed and convenience.
Those topline figures matter, but the more consequential story is what sits underneath them: the migration of control from paper workflows to programmable payments. Virtual cards are not simply a new way to pay.
They are a way to set rules around a payment before it leaves the building, down to a single supplier, a fixed amount and an expiration date. That makes the payment itself part of internal controls, not an after-the-fact reconciliation exercise.
The report frames virtual cards as a fraud and error reduction tool because each transaction can use a unique credential, limiting the damage if a supplier environment is compromised.
For finance teams, that security layer also becomes an operational layer. Automating reconciliation and payment tracking reduces the hands-on work that produces delays and data mistakes, which the report ties to common accounts payable pain points such as manual entry and process bottlenecks.
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It also reframes the supplier conversation.
Virtual card programs tend to work best when suppliers accept them at scale, and the report notes that rebates and incentives can help fund the transition. In practice, that turns payments into a commercial negotiation, not just a treasury function.
A buyer can offer speed and certainty of payment, while the supplier weighs acceptance against fees and operational change. Over time, the firms that standardize these digital terms can reduce exception handling and improve predictability across working capital cycles.
The report also points to a practical route for adoption: embedding virtual cards into existing software and mobile tools rather than asking teams to change behavior overnight.
One example can be found with the WEX and Conferma integration with SAP Concur Invoice, where a virtual card can be generated for the exact invoice amount and then reconciled automatically. That is the deeper modernization play. It moves payment from a separate step to a built-in feature of the workflow. It scales.
At PYMNTS Intelligence, we work with businesses to uncover insights that fuel intelligent, data-driven discussions on changing customer expectations, a more connected economy and the strategic shifts necessary to achieve outcomes. With rigorous research methodologies and unwavering commitment to objective quality, we offer trusted data to grow your business. As our partner, you’ll have access to our diverse team of PhDs, researchers, data analysts, number crunchers, subject matter veterans and editorial experts.
