Introduction

For decades, companies have treated payments and banking as just another subset of the finance function. It makes sense on paper: finance teams manage money, so why not also handle the flow of payments, settlement, and banking relationships?

But here’s the problem: payments and banking are no longer back-office processes. They’re strategic levers for revenue, customer experience, and operational efficiency. Keeping them buried under finance is costing businesses more than they realise—in fees, missed revenue, compliance headaches, and lost opportunities for growth.

Let’s break down why.

1. Payments are no longer just a cost center

Traditionally, payments were viewed as an unavoidable expense—transaction fees, bank charges, FX costs. Finance teams naturally focused on minimizing these outflows.

But today, payments directly impact conversion, retention, and expansion. For example:

• Offering the right local payment methods can boost checkout conversion by double digits.
  
  

• Smart routing reduces failed transactions, meaning fewer abandoned carts.
  
  

• Optimised cross-border processing lowers costs while improving settlement speed.
  

When payments are treated only as “finance overhead,” businesses miss the chance to use them as growth engines and a competitive differentiator in global markets.

2. Customer experience depends on payments

For your customers, the payment is the most critical moment of truth. A smooth, fast, and trusted payment experience builds confidence. A failed or clunky one erodes loyalty instantly.

This is not just about accounting—it’s about user experience, technology, and product strategy. That’s why leading companies place payments under product, operations, or even growth—not just finance. Every additional click, every failed card, every delay in settlement can directly affect your brand reputation.

3. Banking relationships are becoming more complex

Gone are the days when one or two local bank accounts were enough. Global businesses now juggle:

• Multiple acquiring banks for redundancy and better rates.
  
  

• Local banking partners for market access.
  
  

• Digital wallets and alternative payment methods.
  
  

• Regulatory requirements across different jurisdictions.
  

These complexities require specialist expertise and modern infrastructure, not just reconciliation and reporting. It’s about agility, scalability, and staying compliant while keeping the customer journey seamless.

4. The hidden costs of leaving payments under finance

When payments and banking sit purely within finance, businesses often suffer:

• Higher fees from lack of negotiation or smart routing.
  
  

• Revenue leakage from failed or blocked transactions.
  
  

• Slower market entry due to reliance on legacy banking setups.
  
  

• Inefficient operations from manual processes and poor visibility.
  
  

The result? Missed opportunities and real money left on the table.

Rethinking the ownership of payments and banking

Forward-thinking businesses treat payments and banking as a strategic discipline of its own, sitting at the intersection of finance, technology, and product.

That means:

• Empowering dedicated payment teams.
  
  

• Leveraging modern PSPs (Payment Service Providers) with global reach.
  
  

• Using data and optimisation tools to treat payments as a growth lever.
  
  

• Building resilience through multi-acquirer setups and smarter routing.

The smarter way forward

At the end of the day, payments and banking are too important to hide away under finance. They deserve their own seat at the table—because when optimised, they don’t just save money, they unlock revenue and accelerate growth.

If you’re ready to stop leaving value on the table, rethink how your business manages payments.

That’s where EspertoPay comes in. As a modern PSP, we help businesses reduce costs, increase approval rates, and scale faster through smarter payment and banking solutions.

👉 Stop treating payments as back-office admin. Start treating them as a growth strategy.