This year is set to bring significant structural disruption and integration in the payments industry. With the shift being more structural, payments processes will be embedded in the infrastructure, and not just be a finance function. Businesses will expect faster settlements, fewer intermediaries, tighter control, and better FX outcomes, while regulators and banks push for transparency, resilience and local market stability.
Let’s look at the consequential trends shaping B2B payments in 2026 across emerging markets and global movement of money:
Rise of embedded payments
In 2026, many B2B payments don't start in banking portals, they begin in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, procurement tools, payroll/contractor systems, marketplaces and vertical SaaS platforms. In 2026, it’s time for payment providers to integrate deeply with APIs, webhooks and reconciliation. Companies who make finance teams do less work per transaction will be further ahead. Especially for emerging markets, fragmented supplier bases and cross-border contracting make embedded workflows a major efficiency unlock.
‘Pay like a local’ goes global
Cross-border payments are being rebuilt around local clearing rather than routing everything through traditional correspondent banking chains. As local rails are cheaper and often faster with many emerging markets building robust national payment infrastructure, businesses want local currency settlement and fewer points of failure. This leads to paying vendors, affiliates, creators, contractors, and middle agencies in their preferred local methods faster and easier than before.
Instant becomes the standard
Instant payments have been a B2C product. In 2026, the B2B world catches up. This is due to supply chains, marketplaces, and cross-border service delivery that cannot tolerate multi-day cash conversion cycles. Businesses will witness a shift in suppliers pushing for same-day or near real-time settlement. They will start measuring payment performance like logistics: speed, failure rates, visibility and predictability becomes the key.
Compliance will be a competitive advantage
Regulators globally are tightening expectations around transparency, screening, and traceability. In 2026, the winners won't be the firms that avoid compliance pain, they will be the ones who productise compliance, making it seamless and less disruptive for customers. Consistent KYB expectations, more scrutiny on cross-border flows into/out of high-risk corridors, and higher expectations for auditability is expected in the coming year. B2B payment companies that turn compliance into faster onboarding, clearer approvals and fewer reversals are going to be in demand.
Bonus: Stablecoins in 2026
In 2026, the role of stablecoins is expected to move squarely out of the crypto-speculation realm and into mainstream financial and commercial infrastructure, driven primarily by the arrival of clear regulatory frameworks. According to the Big Ideas 2026 predictions, “today, 98% of stablecoins are pegged to the dollar – but Europe’s entry will change the structure of the market.”
The key role of stablecoins in 2026 will be to act as a bridge between the traditional financial world and blockchain-based efficiency, with a focus on institutional use cases and cross-border payments. This year, stablecoins are expected to be fully "productized"—moving from a novel crypto asset to a compliant, institutional-grade settlement layer that makes the movement of money (especially cross-border and B2B) faster, cheaper, and smarter.
If you are a CFO/finance lead
Your 2026 playbook should focus on:
Reducing cash conversion cycle through faster rails and smarter routing
Treating FX as a controlled policy
Demanding visibility and reconciliation automation as table stakes.
If you are a marketplace or platform
For businesses, competitive advantage comes from:
Embedded payouts and collection with local optionsVendor experience (on time delivery, fewer failures)
Risk and compliance that doesn't break user flow.
Verto’s payment revolution in 2026
In 2026, B2B companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), will be compelled to move away from outdated check and manual wire systems.Instead, they will leverage APIs to directly integrate their accounting and ERP software with the national Real-Time Payments infrastructure.
This integration will facilitate two key areas:
Providing instant, irreversible payments to domestic suppliers, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Enabling immediate remittance of taxes, duties, and social security contributions, thereby streamlining the government collection process.
Experience the Verto’s payment revolution → sign up today!
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