The Collaboration
The partnership incorporates Adflex’s Straight-Through-Processing (STP) service to streamline B2B commercial card transactions for Coupa customers. This enhances the payment process, benefiting both buyers and suppliers.
Suppliers previously processed virtual card transactions manually, with cards sent via email initiation within the Coupa platform. Adflex STP streamlines this by eliminating manual entry steps and reducing PCI-DSS scope requirements. Cards can now be read automatically from emails, ensuring smooth transactions without additional input from suppliers.
Control and Automation
Adflex’s STP gives buyers control over payment execution timing. Payment outcomes are reported back to Coupa for seamless expense management and efficient supplier payments.
According to Coupa officials, virtual cards can extend Days Payable Outstanding (DPO) while boosting working capital efficiency. This also reduces suppliers’ Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), minimizing the costs associated with cash collection.
The Shift Towards B2B Payments
This integration coincides with a growing trend among businesses preferring virtual cards for supplier payments, enabling better cash flow management, enhanced security, improved reconciliation, and significant rebate income. Real-time payments are becoming increasingly integral to business-to-business transactions.
The global real-time payments market is anticipated to reach USD 24.91 billion by 2024, driven by the adoption of digital transaction methods across various industries and geographies. Additionally, the international B2B digital payment sector is projected to experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.4% from 2025 to 2032.
Further Updates from Coupa
In April 2024, Coupa partnered with Bottomline to simplify digital payment procedures for businesses.
This partnership enabled Coupa to integrate Paymode-X, Bottomline’s business payments network. It facilitated automated Premium ACH payments from buyers to suppliers. Coupa Pay, a unified platform managing business payments across different countries and currencies, leveraged Bottomline’s Premium ACH offering to optimize payment processes for customers.
