In a B2B context, payments tend to be made in a very traditional way. Today, consumers have numerous payment methods at their disposal - with or without a local touch - but in Europe, 88% of intercompany transactions are still conducted via bank transfer. Although the B2B payments landscape is not standing still either.
For example, the use of credit cards is on the rise and more and more applications are emerging for "virtual cards," now often used in the hotel sector. In Germany, Mollie recently launched a "Buy Now, Pay Later solution" for B2B payments, in cooperation with payment platform Billie.
The entry of BNPL into B2B
'Buy Now, Pay Later' (BNPL) - one of the key payment trends of recent years - is becoming more and more established in B2C. Recent research by Mollie shows that 56% of European consumers sometimes use BNPL payment methods. This is perhaps one of the reasons why BNPL is quietly making inroads into the B2B segment. For companies, BNPL also offers many advantages in terms of cash management.
Potential for PSPs
Mollie-CCO Ken Serdons also sees an important role for payment providers in B2B. Currently, some 95% of B2B payments are handled by banks, and only 5% by payment providers. But there is also potential in B2B to further expand the number of payment methods.
Moreover, payment providers are strong in integrations. B2B transactions are very complex (just think of matching invoices with purchase orders and delivery notes), and there is a lot of software involved. Integrating different applications is the playing field of fintechs and PSPs. They can help companies simplify the flow.
Mollie itself, by the way, has long ceased to be a pure payment processor. It is systematically building its own ecosystem of financial solutions, with the recent launch of a terminal for physical payments and corporate finance through Mollie Capital.
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