For years, CFOs have focused on transaction costs and interchange rates when it comes to payments. But in today’s financial landscape, it’s the infrastructure behind those payments not just the price per swipe that drives efficiency, resilience, and growth.
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Payments have traditionally appeared on the CFO’s radar as a cost center. A few basis points saved on processing fees could make the difference in industries where margins are tight. But this narrow lens creates blind spots.
The truth is, payment infrastructure shapes much more than cost per swipe.
It affects cash flow, operational efficiency, compliance, and even customer experience. Treating payments as a line item to minimise overlooks their potential as a growth engine.
The global payments industry is expanding rapidly. McKinsey estimates that payments revenues reached $2.2 trillion in 2023, driven by e-commerce, cross-border trade, and embedded finance. At the same time, complexity is increasing: multiple payment rails, fragmented acquirers, and regulatory divergence across regions.
For CFOs, this creates both risk and opportunity. Accenture research shows that companies with modern payment infrastructure achieve up to 30% faster settlement cycles and lower fraud losses compared to peers relying on legacy systems. Faster access to cash improves liquidity; streamlined infrastructure reduces overhead. In this environment, focusing only on rates is like adjusting the paint color on a house while ignoring the cracks in the foundation.
For years, CFOs have approached payments through a narrow lens: as a utility to be optimised for cost. The focus has been on lowering interchange, negotiating processing fees, and benchmarking rates against peers. In industries where margins are tight, this made sense. But as payments have grown more complex and central to business performance, this single-minded cost focus has become outdated.
The challenge is that what CFOs don’t see often costs more than what they do see. Beyond the rate sheet, inefficiencies hide in manual processes, outdated systems, and missed revenue opportunities. Treating payments purely as an expense line means overlooking the larger financial and strategic risks created by weak infrastructure.
Here’s how the old lens limits performance today:
This isn’t just cost avoidance it’s value creation.
The role of CFOs has evolved from financial gatekeeper to strategic partner. Payments are part of that shift. In the next 12–24 months, expect:
Those who adapt now will position their organisations for growth and resilience. Those who delay risk hidden costs, compliance penalties, and revenue leakage.
Negotiating lower rates will always matter, but it’s no longer the whole story. The real opportunity for CFOs lies in modernising payment infrastructure accelerating settlement, raising acceptance, embedding compliance, and aligning payments with business growth. Payments are not just an operational cost. They are a strategic asset. The CFOs who recognise this will move beyond incremental savings to unlock resilience, efficiency, and revenue.
