Simplification as a Strategy in B2B Payments

It starts with a simple invoice.

A freight forwarder in Mexico invoices a mid-sized retailer in Canada for $75,000. Goods moved last month.

The payment is due in 14 days.

The CFO of the Canadian company opens her ERP. The invoice is flagged for payment. But here’s the catch — the payment needs to go from a CAD account to a Mexican peso account.

Simple in theory.

But behind the scenes? Chaos.

The On-Ramp Maze

The Canadian CFO wants to stay compliant and avoid high FX spreads.
So, she has options:

1. Use her domestic bank’s cross-border rails.
   • Fees: $45 wire fee.
   • FX markup: 3%.
   • Settlement time: 2–4 days.
   • No visibility until it hits the supplier.
2. Try a fintech platform.
   • Faster, better FX rates — but:
   • Needs to reconcile manually in her ERP.
   • Her treasury system doesn’t connect to it.
   • Compliance team needs to sign off on onboarding a new tool.
3. Pay through a crypto-based platform.
   • Instant, cheap, hyped.
   • But her auditor won't touch it.
   • Her board flags risk.
   • Her supplier has no idea how to cash out.

So she sticks to what she knows: wires and SWIFT.

It’s painful, but it’s predictable.

She can’t afford "experiments."

Meanwhile, in Mexico…

The freight forwarder’s finance lead is refreshing his bank dashboard. The funds haven’t hit.

• He checks his emails.
• He pings his Canadian client.
• He calls his bank.
• "In transit," they say.
• He can’t pay his subcontractors until the CAD hits and converts.

And when the money lands?

There’s a mystery deduction of $187.48.

No one can explain it.

Add More Tech? Or Simplify the Stack?

Here’s where most "innovations" go wrong:

• Yet another wallet.
• Another ledger system.
• Another “on-chain settlement” pitch.

But for the CFO and the supplier?

That’s just another place to check.

Another point of failure.

Another compliance nightmare.

Innovation that adds complexity is not innovation. It's just a more expensive detour.

What They Actually Want

The CFO wants:

• A clean dashboard that tells her:
  • Where the money is.
  • What it will cost.
  • When it will settle.
• A tool that plugs into her existing stack.
• Audit trails, predictable FX, automated reconciliations.
• Peace of mind.

The supplier wants:

• A simple notification: "Payment Received."
• Clear FX rates.
• Local currency.
• Funds available to pay staff and vendors. Today.

The Real Opportunity: Simplification as Strategy

The future of B2B payments isn’t a race to add more rails.

It’s a race to remove friction.

• Tools should adapt to workflows — not force new ones.
• Visibility should be default — not a premium feature.
• FX, treasury, compliance — all should just work.

That’s what “intelligent infrastructure” means:

Not smarter tech. Simpler experiences.

Bottom Line

Start by removing steps, not adding features.

Build for the CFO, not for the hype cycle.

WDIR is trusted by banks, fintechs, and regulators globally to simplify B2B payments experiences. Let's serve your customer with the simplest, most enjoyable payment experience possible.