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2027 B2B payments trends: What the data shows

Five trends shaping the future of B2B payments

B2B payments are becoming more strategic, connected and complex. This report looks at the data behind five trends shaping how businesses will think about payments in 2027.

Inside the report, you’ll learn:

  • Why IT is taking a bigger role in payment decisions and what that means for integration, APIs and automation
  • Why fraud prevention is moving upstream as faster, more automated payments leave less room for manual oversight.
  • What’s driving AI adoption and hesitation as organizations weigh the potential of AI against concerns around trust, security and readiness.
  • How payments are becoming infrastructure as embedded payments move into the software businesses already use.
  • Why businesses are consolidating their payment stack. More than 90% of organizations use two or more payment providers, while 70% would prefer a single partner that acts as bank, processor and card issuer.

Backed by data from across the payments industry.

Q&A

What is a virtual card?

A virtual card is a 16-digit number generated for a single payment, usually locked to a specific dollar amount, supplier, and expiration date. It moves and settles like a normal card transaction, but because the number can’t be reused once the payment clears, there’s nothing left for a bad actor to exploit afterward.

How do virtual cards reduce fraud risk?

The fraud reduction comes from the single-use design itself: a card number tied to one transaction, one amount, and one supplier has no reuse value if it’s ever intercepted. That’s a structural difference from a standing card or account number, which stays exposed for as long as it’s active — which is why programs built on virtual cards can run near-zero fraud rates on that spend.

What is supplier enablement?

Supplier enablement is the work of getting your vendors set up to actually accept virtual card payments — outreach, education on how the card works, and onboarding into whatever payment flow they’re comfortable with. Without it, a virtual card program is limited to whichever suppliers already happen to take cards.

How long does supplier enablement take?

It varies by supplier — some accept cards immediately, others need more explanation or a process built around their preferences. Handing that outreach to a dedicated specialist team, rather than folding it into your AP staff’s existing workload, is what keeps the timeline from stalling out. A payment partner, like WEX, can help you onboard and educate your suppliers about the advantages of virtual card payments, making the transition smoother and more beneficial for both parties.

How do virtual card rebates work?

When you use a virtual card to make a payment, the issuing bank typically rebates a portion of the interchange fee back to your business. Interchange fees are the fees that merchants pay to banks whenever a customer makes a purchase using a credit or debit card. For example, receiving 1 percent cash back on virtual card invoice payments means you will get $10,000 back for every $1 million spent.