This Week in B2B: Resilience Is the New ROI

Today’s businesses are faced with a trifecta of challenges. Organizational leaders must navigate technological advancements, economic pressures and shifting B2B expectations.

In era where resilience is the new return on investment (ROI), finance teams are becoming architects of defensive, strategic momentum. They’re designing back offices that not only support growth but accelerate it. In doing so, they’re making the back office a front-line differentiator.

Key trends powering this reinvention include the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in financial operations, the modernization of payment systems, the adoption of zero-trust cybersecurity architectures and the strategic use of data analytics.​

At the same time, given ongoing macro uncertainties, every transformation must tie back to core value creation: faster close cycles, smarter capital allocation and stronger control.

Enterprise AI is Coming to Support Key Business Operations

AI has transitioned from a futuristic concept to a core component of financial management. Companies are leveraging AI to enhance forecasting accuracy, detect fraud and automate complex tasks. For instance, Amazon has integrated generative AI into its finance operations, streamlining processes such as contract review and regulatory interpretation, thereby improving cost efficiency and accuracy.

Moreover, specialized AI models are being developed to address industry-specific challenges.

Forget static Excel models. Machine learning systems are parsing terabytes of structured and unstructured data — everything from supplier trends to weather forecasts — to generate rolling, adaptive forecasts. AI is handling invoice processing, automating compliance workflows and even suggesting where working capital should be parked or deployed based on macro signals.

Articul8’s launch of domain-specific generative AI models for supply chain operations exemplifies this trend. These models autonomously translate complex technical documentation into actionable insights, enhancing operational efficiency in manufacturing and industrial processes.

Read also: This Week in B2B: Embracing Complexity Is Transforming Back Offices

Embracing the Modernization of Payment Systems and Financial Services

Despite technological advancements, many companies have been slow to adopt digital payment solutions. PYMNTS spoke with Eric Frankovic, president of corporate payments at WEX, about the urgency of modernizing payment systems to maintain a healthy supply chain and control costs.

He noted that increasing concerns about fraud and the operational benefits of virtual cards are prompting a digital shift across B2B payments, noting that virtual cards offer enhanced security, streamlined processes and improved capital management compared to paper-based and other traditional payment mechanisms.

Additionally, partnerships with technology providers are helping in facilitating this transition. Mastercard’s collaboration with Unipaas also aims to embed modern card processing capabilities into vertical SaaS platforms, enabling small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to move from manual invoicing to efficient, secure digital payments. Discover also this week teamed up with Fyorin on a virtual B2B card program.

PYMNTS also covered how, while digitizing B2B payments may look different for every business, the pressures on organizations to innovate are coming from several shared angles that can include fraud concerns, cross-border complexities, real-time expectations, heightened security demands and shifting workforce demographics.

See more: This Week in B2B: Entering an Age of Cross-Border Intelligence

Trust No One, But By Design

With digital acceleration comes digital vulnerability, making enterprise cybersecurity an important concern for leadership.

As back-office functions become increasingly integrated with cloud-based solutions and interconnected platforms, traditional security perimeters are becoming obsolete. This evolution necessitates the adoption of zero-trust architectures, which operate on the principle of “never trust, always verify.” By implementing granular access controls and continuous monitoring, companies can enhance security in a landscape where remote work and mobile devices are prevalent.

Cybersecurity threats are constantly advancing, as detailed in a report this week by U.S. agencies that highlighted the growing risks of cyber tactics such as “fast flux” attacks.

Still, it’s not all bad news. The rise of cloud-native enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, real-time dashboards and low-code analytics tools is empowering CFOs to deliver insights on demand, without waiting on IT or behavioral insight teams. As finance functions become more embedded in strategic decision-making, the ability to tell stories with numbers has never been more critical.

Retailers, for example, are increasingly relying on payment processors and merchant acquirers not only for transaction processing but also for strategic insights. By analyzing transactional data, acquirers can help retailers optimize operations, enhance customer experiences and drive revenue growth. This collaboration enables retailers to personalize customer interactions, improve marketing strategies and streamline checkout experiences.

These analytics can be invaluable in an environment like today’s, where the current economic climate presents significant challenges for small businesses, particularly in light of escalating tariffs.

The April 2025 SMB Growth Report from PYMNTS Intelligence found that one in five SMBs without financing fear they may not survive the impact of the U.S. tariffs.