Think about the last time you paid for something in your personal life. Maybe you tapped your phone at checkout or sent money to a friend without even thinking about it. That ease has become the baseline for how people expect payments to work.

Inside many companies, though, the accounts payable process still looks and feels complex. Paper invoices, long approval chains, and slow payments are still common. As expectations rise, finance leaders are under pressure to deliver faster, safer, and more flexible experiences.

Looking ahead to 2026, five trends are shaping how businesses pay and get paid. These trends set the tone for where the market is heading, and our 2026 Business Payments Trends eBook dives deeper into what they mean for your organization. Here’s a preview.

1. Fraud protection is becoming a layered strategy

Fraud attempts aren’t slowing down. The 2025 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey found that 79% of organizations experienced attempted or actual payments fraud, and checks remained the most vulnerable method. Attackers are using more advanced tactics, from AI-generated phishing messages to spoofed vendor requests, and the gap between consumer awareness and corporate exposure is widening.

Finance teams are responding by taking a layered approach to fraud prevention that combines several payments: virtual cards with strict controls, multi-factor authentication, real-time transaction monitoring, and stronger identity verification.

2. Embedded payments are making business transactions feel seamless

We’ve all experienced embedded payments in our personal lives — booking a ride, ordering takeout, or paying a subscription without ever leaving the app. That same expectation is coming to B2B.

Platforms that embed payments keep users inside their ecosystem instead of handing them off to a separate portal. This creates a smoother experience and unlocks more revenue potential. According to Bain & Company, embedded financial service transactions in the U.S. are projected to exceed $7 trillion by 2026, up from $2.6 trillion in 2021.

But the real shift is happening behind the scenes. More software companies are choosing to embed payments rather than build them, leaning on partners who handle compliance, integration, and ongoing maintenance.

3. Modern payment workflows are becoming a competitive advantage

Despite the rise in fraud tied to checks, 75% of organizations still have no plans to reduce their use of checks, according to the latest AFP survey. For many, the problem isn’t a lack of interest in modernization, it’s the weight of legacy systems, supplier habits, and internal processes.

Companies that make the shift to digital-first workflows are seeing benefits on both sides of the transaction: faster payments for suppliers, real-time visibility for finance teams, and fewer errors.

Eric Frankovic, President of Corporate Payments at WEX, says that modernization has to deliver value to everyone involved: “It’s no longer a buyer-only world. We have to make sure both sides are benefiting.”

4. Agentic AI is moving from buzzword to daily utility

AI has already changed how finance teams work, but the next leap is agentic AI: technology that can reason, learn, and take action with less human direction.

Karen Stroup, Chief Product Officer at WEX, explains it this way: “Traditional AI gives you an insight. Agentic AI can act on it. That shift is game-changing.”

Instead of simply flagging an anomaly, agentic AI can start a workflow. Instead of suggesting the fastest payment rail, it can route it. It doesn’t replace human oversight—it removes the repetitive steps that slow teams down.

5. A new generation of decision-makers is reshaping expectations

Millennials and Gen Z now make up more than half of the U.S. workforce, according to the Department of Labor. These are leaders who grew up tapping to pay, managing money from their phones, and expecting instant visibility into everything.

Their preferences are already shaping corporate payment strategies. They want tools that are mobile-friendly, automated, and intuitive. They value flexibility and easy integrations. And they’re more likely to choose vendors who can adapt quickly to how their teams actually work.

This generational shift is one of the strongest signals that outdated workflows won’t survive much longer. 

A preview of what’s ahead

These five trends represent only part of the story. The pace of change in payments is accelerating, and 2026 will be a defining year for companies that want to move from reactive operations to proactive, future-ready finance.

If you’re thinking about:

• reducing fraud exposure
• adopting embedded payments
• modernizing AP
• leveraging AI more effectively
• or preparing for new decision-makers

…the full eBook offers deeper insights and expert perspectives to help guide your strategy.

The information in this blog post is for educational purposes only. It is not legal, tax or investment advice. For legal, tax or investment advice, you should consult your own legal counsel, tax, and investment advisers.