How AI Is Bettering B2B Payments

Why It Matters

AI‑enabled automation gives Billtrust a competitive edge in the crowded B2B payments space and supports its push into Europe, where multinational clients demand scalable, intelligent AR solutions.

Key Takeaways

• Billtrust processes about $1 trillion in invoices annually
• AI tools aim to automate AR communications via voice and chat
• CEO targets European expansion while serving U.S. multinationals
• Limited IT resources push customers toward agentic AI solutions
• Competition includes HighRadius and Versapay in B2B payments

Pulse Analysis

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the B2B payments landscape, and Billtrust is positioning itself at the forefront. The Nashville‑based accounts‑receivable platform, now part of EQT‑owned BTRS Holdings, handles roughly $1 trillion of invoice volume each year for 2,600 midsize to enterprise customers. With a CEO who previously led Planful, Billtrust is leveraging AI to address a core pain point: companies with limited IT resources need smarter, self‑service tools that can streamline collections without heavy integration work. This strategic focus aligns with broader industry trends toward digitization and data‑driven finance.

Billtrust’s AI roadmap centers on automating communications between buyers and suppliers, introducing voice‑enabled and chat‑based interfaces, and eventually delivering fully autonomous AR workflows that operate within preset parameters. By embedding algorithmic decision‑making into payment acceptance policies, the platform can continuously optimize terms for both parties, balancing credit‑card rebates for buyers against transaction‑cost pressures for suppliers. Halloran describes this as a “data‑science challenge,” where the system evaluates millions of buyer‑supplier‑bank interactions to recommend the most economical and experience‑rich outcomes.

The company’s next growth lever is European expansion, targeting U.S. multinationals that need a unified AR solution across continents. This move pits Billtrust against established rivals such as HighRadius and Versapay, while its AI‑driven differentiation could win over firms seeking end‑to‑end economic efficiency. For finance departments, the promise of autonomous, algorithmic optimization translates into lower DSO, reduced manual effort, and better cash‑flow visibility. As AI adoption matures, Billtrust’s blend of scale, AI capability, and cross‑border reach positions it to capture a larger share of the evolving B2B payments market.