Modern payment processing is a complex system of network rules and real-time decisions that shape how quickly businesses get paid, how much they keep after fees, and how secure their payment flows are. Businesses need to navigate this swiftly changing market, which includes everything from instant bank transfers and e-invoicing mandates to machine learning fraud defenses. Being successful means businesses need to be paying careful attention to cash flow, profit margins, the customer experience, and using all the tools at their disposal to refine the process. Below, you’ll find a detailed look at the payment processing best practices that make a real difference.

What’s in this article?

• What are the most common payment methods for B2B and B2C businesses?
  
• How does modern payment processing work?
  
• How can automation and smart systems make payments faster and more reliable?
  
• Which digital payment trends should you be tracking?
  
• Why are real-time analytics and reporting important for cash flow visibility?
  
• How should businesses handle cross-border and international payments?
  
• How can you design payment strategies for different industries and customers?
  
• How can businesses improve their payment approval and success rates?
  
• What are best practices for payment reconciliation and recordkeeping?
  
• How should businesses manage refunds, partial payments, and payment plans?
  
• How Stripe Payments can help
  

Quais são as formas de pagamento mais comuns para empresas B2B e B2C?

Mesmo com o surgimento de novas ferramentas de pagamento a cada ano, a maior parte do dinheiro ainda é movimentada por meio de um punhado de formas de pagamento conhecidas. A combinação certa de métodos para sua empresa depende das preferências de seus clientes, de suas funcionalidades técnicas e do tamanho e volume de suas transações típicas. Aqui estão as formas de pagamento mais comuns em todo o mundo.

Cheques

Os cheques em papel são lentos e manuais, mas não desapareceram. Embora sejam menos comuns para pagamentos B2C, muitas equipes financeiras os utilizam para faturamento B2B e pagamentos a fornecedores. Em 2024, as empresas dos EUA movimentaram EUA$ 8,17 trilhões por meio de cheques comerciais.

Transferências bancárias

Há alguns tipos diferentes de transferências bancárias.

Os débitos automáticos são transferências de baixo custo em que o beneficiário pode sacar fundos em um cronograma definido. Essas funções os tornam uma opção popular para pagamentos recorrentes, como assinaturas ou serviços públicos. Cada região tem seu próprio sistema de débito automático, incluindo Débitos Diretos SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) na Europa e pagamentos ACH (Automated Clearing House) nos EUA.

As wire transfers são mais rápidas que os débitos automáticos, mas as tarifas são mais altas, portanto, geralmente são reservadas para transações de alto valor ou urgentes.

Os pagamentos em tempo real por meio de redes como a FedNow nos EUA, a Unified Payments Interface (UPI) na Índia e o Pix no Brasil movimentam dinheiro entre contas instantaneamente, 24 horas por dia, 7 dias por semana. Em muitas regiões, esses sistemas se transformaram de transferências peer-to-peer em uma forma de pagamento instantâneo para consumidores e empresas.

Carteiras digitais

O Apple Pay, Google Pay e outras carteiras digitais permitem que os usuários paguem com um toque ou um único clique, ocultando os dados subjacentes do cartão ou do banco. São comumente usadas no e-commerce e no checkout por dispositivo móvel. A China, a Índia e os EUA lideraram o mundo na adoção de carteiras digitais em 2024.

Cartões de crédito e débito

Os cartões continuam sendo a opção de pagamento padrão para muitos clientes, especialmente nos EUA, onde os cartões de crédito e de débito representaram 35% e 30% dos pagamentos em 2024, respectivamente. Também são usados com frequência para pagar despesas menores da empresa e viagens de negócios. A contrapartida são as tarifas: passar o cartão é rápido e familiar, mas as comissões interbancárias podem se acumular rapidamente em transações grandes.

Oferecer uma combinação dessas opções dá a você e aos seus clientes mais flexibilidade. A Stripe, por exemplo, pode ajudar a simplificar a oferta dessas opções, fornecendo uma única integração para ativar mais de 75 formas de pagamento. A Stripe também oferece o Link, um checkout acelerado que ajuda as empresas a aumentar a receita e economizar milhares de horas de engenharia com interfaces de usuário (UIs) pré-construídas.

How does modern payment processing work?

Payments might seem straightforward: money leaves one account and shows up in another. But that process requires a series of interconnected steps and players working together to move the funds.

Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes, step-by-step:

• Initiation: A customer chooses to pay via credit or debit card, digital wallet, or other payment method and enters their payment details.

• Encryption: The payment gateway encrypts the transaction data and transmits it to the payment processor.

• Authorization: The payment processor sends the transaction to the acquiring bank, which then forwards it on to the customer’s bank. If it’s a card payment, the transaction moves through the relevant card network.

• Approval or decline: The customer’s bank checks if funds are available and approves or declines the payment.

• Settlement: The processor facilitates the transfer of funds from the customer’s bank to the business’s bank. The business’s merchant account is credited with the payment amount, less any processing fees.

Como a automação e os sistemas inteligentes podem tornar os pagamentos mais rápidos e confiáveis?

Se a sua equipe tiver a tarefa de lidar com todas as etapas, os pagamentos podem se arrastar e os erros podem surgir. Cada etapa manual eliminada é uma chance a menos de erros de digitação, créditos mal aplicados ou faturas perdidas. A automação torna os pagamentos mais rápidos, mais precisos e mais fáceis de controlar e reconciliar. Vamos olhar mais de perto.

Faturamento ou cobrança instantânea

Assim que as mercadorias são enviadas ou uma assinatura é renovada, os sistemas automatizados podem gerar uma fatura ou cobrança, extraindo os dados do cliente, itens e a data de vencimento diretamente dos dados do pedido. Não há elaboração manual ou possibilidade de erros de digitação. A solicitação de pagamento é enviada imediatamente, frequentemente com lembretes automáticos enviados antes e depois da data de vencimento.

Aprovações mais rápidas

No B2B, o direcionamento automatizado pode determinar quem precisa de aprovação e notificá-lo instantaneamente. Os gerentes podem aprovar em seus telefones, e as regras podem aprovar automaticamente faturas pequenas. Os escalonamentos também evitam gargalos quando alguém está fora do escritório.

Pagamentos otimizados e dentro do prazo

A automação pode dar início ao pagamento real, enviando um arquivo de débito automático para o banco, cobrando um cartão no arquivo, ou agendando uma transferência em tempo real. É comumente usada em pagamentos recorrentes para transações pontuais.

Reconciliação em tempo real

Os pagamentos recebidos são automaticamente comparados com faturas ou pedidos de vendas. Mesmo as correspondências com pequenos erros (por exemplo, referências ou valores ligeiramente incorretos) podem ser detectadas com machine learning. As exceções são sinalizadas imediatamente.

Smart Retries mais inteligentes

Quando os pagamentos falham, a automação não desiste. As cobranças de cartão mal-sucedidas podem ser tentadas novamente e os débitos automáticos podem ser reapresentados em horários ideais.

Precisão no redimensionamento

À medida que os volumes crescem, os fluxos de trabalho são escalonados automaticamente. As equipes financeiras podem lidar com mais pagamentos sem contratar.

Which digital payment trends should you be tracking?

Payments are trending toward being more instant, digital-first, AI-secured, and flexible. As consumer expectations push innovation for B2C, B2B adoption follows. The businesses that benefit most are the ones paying attention to which of these trends actually fit their model and adopting them before they become the expectation. Here are the trends your business should be monitoring.

Instant payment networks

Regulators and banks are encouraging the use of instant transfers. In the EU, rules adopted in 2024 require SEPA Instant Credit Transfers to land within 10 seconds. And more countries are establishing their own networks—such as the United States’ FedNow, India’s UPI, and Brazil’s Pix—and businesses can use them to maintain smoother cash flow.

E-invoicing

Electronic invoices (e-invoices) plug straight into accounting systems and send invoices in structured electronic formats. They offer cleaner data, faster approvals, and simpler compliance. They’re currently mandated in France, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, and other markets. Even without mandates, many businesses are adopting e-invoicing for its speed and transparency.

AI-driven fraud detection

AI models can scan thousands of data points in milliseconds and flag anomalies such as duplicate invoices or transactions from unexpected locations. They can predict which payments are likely to fail, suggest smarter retries, and keep up where static fraud rules fall behind.

BNPL and flexible financing

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) continues to grow in B2C retail, and it’s now entering B2B. The system is simple: customers get flexibility, sellers are paid up front, and a third party takes on the risk. The global B2B BNPL market hit $14 billion in 2023, and adoption is expected to rise as more businesses seek a low-cost credit option.

Digital wallets and mobile-first payments

Digital wallets are already a common B2C payment method in Asia, the US, and Europe, and they’re starting to gain traction in B2B. As of 2025, 44% of UK financial institutions supported wallet-based B2B payments. While they likely won’t replace checks or wire transfers for six-figure invoices, they simplify smaller payments.

Stablecoins

Some businesses already use stablecoins for cross-border transfers. They offer global settlement in minutes, with more transparency and lower costs than correspondent banking. As the infrastructure matures, it’s becoming easier for B2B and B2C payments to happen 24/7 via stablecoins.

Por que a análise e os relatos em tempo real são importantes para a visibilidade do fluxo de caixa?

Os dashboards em tempo real mostram quais pagamentos foram compensados hoje, quais foram devolvidos e quais clientes estão com o prazo vencido. O imediatismo é importante: detectar um pagamento atrasado de um cliente geralmente confiável no primeiro dia é muito diferente de perceber isso 30 dias depois. Os dados em tempo real oferecem às equipes financeiras a visibilidade para corrigir o curso no momento, em vez de esperar pelos relatórios de fim de mês. Veja como essa visibilidade pode ajudá-lo a administrar sua empresa.

Detecte problemas antes que aumentem

Quando as taxas de autorização caem, os estornos aumentam ou os reembolsos se acumulam, esses sinais aparecem instantaneamente nos relatórios em tempo real. Quanto mais cedo você perceber, mais cedo poderá corrigir o problema - seja uma regra de fraude muito rigorosa, um emissor de cartões bloqueando um lote ou um problema técnico após uma atualização do sistema.

Forneça um melhor serviço ao cliente

Quando você pode confirmar instantaneamente o status do pagamento, também pode dar aos seus clientes melhor visibilidade. Se um cliente perguntar se um pagamento foi concluído, você pode confirmar imediatamente. Se uma cobrança recorrente falhar, o senhor pode contatar o cliente para atualizar as informações de pagamento antes que seu serviço seja afetado.

Obtenha uma visão estratégica

Com o tempo, os feeds em tempo real criam percepções estratégicas sobre vários itens, como tendências de pagamento, defasagem regional de pagamento e desempenho por método. Esse conhecimento pode capacitar as equipes a identificar padrões antecipadamente e ajustar proativamente.

How should businesses handle cross-border and international payments?

Moving money across borders has additional challenges, with currency conversion, different banking systems, compliance checks, and higher fees. But the right setup can make international transactions feel almost as simple as domestic ones. Here’s how to approach it.

Use local networks when possible

Relying only on international wires is slow and expensive. If you work with international customers, accepting local payment methods reduces friction and lowers costs. If you’re paying vendors, work with providers who can route payments through domestic networks so the recipient sees a local transfer instead of a costly cross-border payment.

Adopt a multicurrency strategy

Constant conversions eat into margins. Holding balances in key currencies avoids back-and-forth conversions when you both collect and spend in the same currency. Charging customers in their own currency and settling locally improves approval rates and saves on interchange. Many global processors support local acquiring, where transactions are routed through in-region banks to reduce cross-border fees and improve success rates.

Stripe, for example, supports multicurrency management in more than 135 currencies.

Stay compliant without slowing down

International transfers pass through layers of Anti-Money Laundering (AML), sanctions, and tax reporting checks. Incomplete details or missing documentation can cause delays. Providers with built-in compliance screening reduce the risk of funds being held mid-transfer. Include clear payment references (e.g., invoice numbers, purpose of payments) to help banks process transactions quickly.

Be strategic about timing and consolidation

If you’re sending multiple payments abroad each month, consolidate when possible to reduce flat fees. Using platforms with near-market exchange rates can yield meaningful savings for high-volume businesses compared to bank spreads.

A strong global payment setup means working with your business feels “local” to international partners and customers. That translates to fewer delays, lower costs, and better relationships—whether you’re collecting a subscription payment in euros or paying a supplier in rupees.

How can you design payment strategies for different industries and customers?

The right payment strategy strongly depends on your industry and who you’re billing. What works for a subscription-based software company might not work for a wholesaler or vice versa. Always meet customer expectations first, then layer in automation and efficiency. Here’s what different industries should keep in mind.

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) and subscriptions

Recurring billing runs on automation. Card charges and direct debits keep renewals running, while card account updater services can reduce involuntary churn. Enterprise customers often expect invoicing and net terms, so build in e-invoicing and accounts receivable (AR) automation.

Ecommerce and retail

Conversion hinges on speed and choice. Digital wallets, one-click checkout, and BNPL options can help lift completion rates—particularly on mobile. Fraud screening here is key: set up your filters so they block potential fraud without rejecting legitimate customers.

Professional services

Clean invoicing and partial payments are the usual process here. Online portals that let clients pay directly from an invoice tend to facilitate faster payments. Keep all parties informed with clear tracking of partial or milestone payments.

Manufacturing and wholesale

In these industries, transactions are large and often split into installments. Wire transfers and direct debits are dominant, with BNPL and trade credit platforms offering flexibility without adding risk to your balance sheet. Always include invoice or purchase order (PO) numbers in payment references to help with reconciliation.

Healthcare and regulated sectors

Compliance is front and center here. Payments need to integrate with industry-specific enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, maintain detailed audit trails, and follow strict data requirements. Easy patient or client payment options through portals or kiosks can improve collections without risking compliance.

How can businesses improve their payment approval and success rates?

Every failed payment is lost revenue. Failed subscription payments can lead to churn; failed payments on large invoices can create cash flow problems. To improve your success rates, identify avoidable failures to remove them and manage the rest strategically. Here’s how to get started.

Keep payment details current

Expired or reissued cards lead to declines. Card account updater services automatically refresh stored credentials when banks issue new cards. Pay attention to return codes for direct debits: “account closed” requires a different set of next steps than “insufficient funds.”

Send richer data

Authorization decisions are based on risk signals. Including billing postal codes and card verification values (CVVs) can legitimize transactions to issuers and make approval more likely. This additional data can also help lower interchange rates.

Retry intelligently

Not all declines are final. Smart retry logic systems space out attempts based on issuer behavior. For example, it can retry after payday if the decline was due to insufficient funds, or at a different time of day if banks are throttling. Machine learning can automatically optimize retry timing, which can mean millions in recovered revenue at scale. Stripe’s recovery tools help businesses recover 57% of failed recurring payments on average.

Route transactions locally

Using local acquirers can raise approval rates and lower fees for cross-border transactions. The same principle applies to routing; some businesses use multiple processors and cascade transactions to a backup if the first declines.

Balance fraud rules

Overly strict filters can block real customers. Configure your fraud tools to flag edge cases for review instead of auto-declining. Regularly reviewing decline codes and chargeback data also helps calibrate rules so you’re not leaving money on the table.

Communicate with customers

When payments fail, be transparent. Friendly alerts and backup options (such as offering an alternative payment method) can help prevent churn and keep the customer relationship intact.

What are best practices for payment reconciliation and recordkeeping?

Reconciliation is where finance teams find out if the numbers really line up. Every dollar that lands in the bank has to match a sale, a payout, or a refund. When reconciliation runs on automation, clear references, and disciplined exception handling, finance teams are working from a financial picture they can actually rely on. These are some best practices to do it efficiently.

Automate the easy work

Most modern ERPs and accounts payable (AP) systems can auto-match payments to invoices using IDs, dates, or exact amounts. The more of that work you can offload to software, the less time you waste keying in details and the faster you can catch the exceptions that matter.

Use consistent references

The system only works if the data is clean. Unique invoice numbers, PO references, or structured remittance fields make reconciliation much easier. Be consistent with instructing your customers and vendors to use them.

Reconcile more than once a month

Reconciling just once a month can make it easy to fall behind. Weekly (or even daily for high volume) reconciliation helps you catch short pays, overpays, or stray fees while they’re still fixable.

Handle edge cases deliberately

Make sure you log any partial payments against the right invoice balances. Bundled payments need to be split cleanly across multiple bills, and overpayments should be tallied as credits. Clear rules for how to handle each of these payment types ensures uniformity.

Make your trails audit-proof

Processor fees, chargebacks, and refunds distort deposits if you don’t break them out. Document every adjustment, whether it’s a waived balance or a reallocated payment, so anyone reviewing later can follow the chain.

How should businesses manage refunds, partial payments, and payment plans?

Customers might return products, dispute invoices, and negotiate installments. When refunds, partial payments, and payment plans are handled deliberately and consistently, finance teams get a ledger that mirrors reality and customers are afforded the flexibility they want. Let’s look at how to handle these types of transactions.

Refunds

For these transactions, bear in mind:

• Refunds should flow back through the original transaction whenever possible. That protects customers, simplifies reconciliation, and creates a direct audit trail.

• Speed matters. The longer a refund takes, the more likely it is to become a dispute or chargeback.

• In B2B, every refund needs a credit memo or record tied to the original invoice.

Partial payments

With partial payments, best practices include the following:

• When a customer pays only part of an invoice, the open balance should remain visible.

• Systems should apply payments against invoices directly, not lump them into general receipts.

• If a customer short pays, flag it immediately so that the reason (e.g., dispute, discount, error) can be resolved and it’s not flagged during reconciliation.

Payment plans

Consider the below if you offer payment plans:

• The finance team should make sure the full obligation stays visible as installments are tracked. That can mean multiple invoices scheduled out or a single invoice marked down as partial payments are applied.

• Automating charges through direct debit pulls or stored cards can help reduce missed payments and the manual overhead of chasing them down.

Como o Stripe Payments pode ajudar

O Stripe Payments oferece uma solução global e unificada de pagamentos que auxilia empresas de qualquer porte — desde startups em expansão até grandes corporações — a aceitar pagamentos online, presencialmente e em qualquer parte do mundo.

O Stripe Payments pode ajudar você a:

• Otimizar sua experiência de checkout: Crie uma experiência sem atritos ao cliente e economize milhares de horas de engenharia com interfaces de pagamento pré-prontas, acesso a mais de 125 formas de pagamento e o Link, uma carteira digital criada pela Stripe.

• Expandir para novos mercados com rapidez: Alcance clientes em escala mundial e reduza a complexidade e o custo de gestão multimoeda com opções de pagamento internacionais, disponíveis em 195 países e em mais de 135 moedas.

• Unificar pagamentos presenciais e online: Construa uma experiência de comércio unificada em online e presenciais para personalizar interações, premiar fidelidade e ampliar a receita.

• Melhorar o desempenho dos pagamentos: Aumente a receita com uma variedade de ferramentas personalizáveis e de fácil configuração, incluindo proteção contra fraudes no-code e recursos avançados para elevar as taxas de autorização.

• Agir mais rápido com uma plataforma flexível e confiável para crescimento: Construa uma plataforma desenhada para escalar com você, oferecendo 99,999% de disponibilidade e confiabilidade líder no setor.

Saiba mais sobre como o Stripe Payments pode potencializar seus pagamentos digitais e presenciais, ou comece já.