B2B payments expert Inez Berkhof-Hollander discusses recent research, highlighting key trends and explaining why AI is at the forefront of change in the sector
In a recently commissioned study of 550 B2B payments leaders across France, Germany, Spain and the UK, we set out to understand current and emerging buyer preferences. We wanted to learn how far AI has moved beyond hype, given its association with transforming repetitive, administratively intensive workloads.
To explore this, we asked senior payments professionals detailed questions about their current use of AI in purchasing and payment processes. Almost half (48%) of respondents said they ‘often’ used AI technologies in their B2B purchasing and payment processes, and 30% said they ‘always’ do. Only 4% admitted to rarely using AI technologies in these processes.
So AI is already widely in use, but what are businesses expecting to gain from it?
What does the market think of AI?
We asked where AI and other emerging technologies hold the most promise in B2B payments. Responses were diverse, with no more than a fifth of B2B buyers alighting on any single use case for advanced technology as a solution to payment complexity.
So where do they see the biggest opportunities? Buyers suggested several key areas: improving decision-making through advanced data insights (20%), strengthening fraud prevention and risk management (16%) and streamlining processes and reducing manual tasks (14%).
However, adoption is not without friction. Almost as many respondents had concerns about data privacy or regulatory compliance (19%), said they lacked the internal expertise to implement these technologies (17%) or do not yet see a clear need or benefit from AI. This led to them not taking any action with AI at this time.
Regional differences continue to matter
Emerging use cases include AI being explored to gain visibility into invoice status and automatically matching invoices to purchase orders, helping address persistent pain points around inaccuracy and inefficiency.
Regional differences also matter. For example, corporate buyers in Australia are most likely to say they always use AI in purchasing, while those in France are least likely (35% vs 25%). What’s driving this is the realisation that current purchasing processes are no longer adequate. Invoicing has become central to cash-flow management and operational efficiency, yet delays in invoice approval, difficulty tracking discounts, ERP integration gaps, inconsistent formats and data errors all act as anchors weighing down progress.
We also found regional and company-size differences in priorities. Respondents based in Spain were most interested in applying advanced technologies to improve decision-making through advanced data insights (26%), compared with 13% in Germany.
Company size also plays a role. Firms with over 500 staff members were most likely to be looking to streamline processes and reduce manual tasks (20%), in contrast to just 9% of companies with 100-200 employees. In this context, AI-driven automation can transform suppliers’ accounts receivable (AR) from a cost centre into a strategic lever, by generating customised invoices.
Platforms using machine learning and optical character recognition (OCR) can deliver results at speed, helping keep cash flowing. AI-based customer-spend modelling, meanwhile, can predict and pre-empt when buyers might pause or reduce ordering, automatically triggering re-engagement campaigns. In addition, configurable rebate and loyalty programmes, tied to spend thresholds, can deepen customer loyalty and lifetime value.
The report makes six recommendations to improve B2B buyers’ experience in 2026:
- Offer mixed payment rails (cards, net terms, pay by invoice) and make net terms transparent Almost half (47%) of businesses said they consider pay by invoice as a factor when deciding whether to work with a partner again. It has become table stakes in what UK and mainland European B2B teams expect from their suppliers.
- Make invoicing configurable and ERP-integrated (schedule, format, auto-push to procurement/AP) In larger enterprises (500+ employees), ERP integration and purchase controls are a top priority
- Invest in frictionless onboarding and managed support In the UK, fast onboarding stands out as suppliers’ most powerful competitive levers.
- Use AI to automate AR and procurement workflows AI can streamline collections, invoice matching, and early-payment discounts, while also improving fraud detection by flagging suspicious activity before transactions are completed.
- Consider price and contract verification Clear verification processes and loyalty-linked pricing programmes help build trust and demonstrate long-term value to buyers.
- Use AI-driven customer intelligence and retention tools Spend modelling can predict order slowdowns. It also enables proactive re-engagement and more personalised loyalty or rebate programmes tied to usage thresholds.
Putting customers at the centre
Technology, vital as it is, isn’t the whole story. The real question is how to treat each customer in the way they expect.
In Europe, invoice-based payment is a core expectation, typically with 30-day terms or longer, but practices vary between countries. Trade credit is especially prevalent in the UK and Germany, while Spanish buyers rely on it far less. In Europe and the UK, cash-on-delivery, installment payments and even paper cheques remain in use, particularly among smaller organisations, while in North America, a more credit card-centric model remains the norm.
The inference to be drawn from the study is clear: if organisations want to win business, they must be able to work with the local cultural norms in terms of managing cash flow. What works for one buyer group cannot be assumed to work for another, and organisations need to prove that they truly understand this.
Main takeaways
Finally, we wanted to know what expectations practitioners have in AI for B2B Payments; was it simply to automate routine tasks? The answer came back that this is far from the biggest driver. Instead, organisations told us they want AI to improve decision-making through data insights (20%) and to strengthen their fraud prevention and risk management practices (16%).
The takeaway from this data is that there will always be regional differences and a one-size-fits-all approach is rarely a sound bet in multinational business. Success comes down to reducing friction at every stage of the buying journey, with AI seen as an aid to that, and importantly not a replacement for human judgement.
Encouragingly, the most impactful use cases are the ones that enhance decision-making, improve risk management, and reduce routine work.
Inez Berkhof-Hollander is EMEA Vice President at the global B2B payments network, TreviPay. For more on the themes discussed here, you can access the complete TreviPay EMEA market research report, here.
