Finance Chiefs Accelerate Payment Cycles as Cash Velocity Emerges as Critical Performance Metric

The New Frontier of Financial Competition

Chief financial officers are increasingly treating cash flow velocity as a strategic weapon rather than a backward-looking metric, according to reports from a new industry collaboration. The concept of “Time to Cash™” is emerging as the new key performance indicator that finance leaders are using to gauge business resilience in uncertain economic times.

Transforming Cash Flow Management

Sources indicate that CFOs are fundamentally reengineering their payment processes through automation and technological innovation. The report states that finance executives are collapsing traditional payment cycles and streamlining reconciliation procedures to transform cash flow from a lagging indicator into a leading competitive advantage.

Analysts suggest that in today’s business climate, where liquidity constraints can emerge suddenly, the ability to accelerate cash conversion cycles has become critical for organizational survival. “In a business climate where seconds separate winners from laggards, liquidity has become the new frontier of competitive advantage,” according to the analysis.

Comprehensive Industry Research

The findings come from “Time to Cash™: A New Measure of Business Resilience,” a collaborative research initiative between PYMNTS Intelligence, Bottomline and FIS. The study surveyed 375 CFOs from U.S. companies with annual revenues between $250 million and $2.5 billion, conducted from July 17 to August 5, 2025.

The research reportedly examined the current state of cash flow management across goods and services sectors, identifying key innovations driving improvements in financial operations. Survey data and firsthand insights captured how finance leaders are redefining speed as the ultimate measure of resilience.

Strategic Implications for Finance Leaders

According to the report, forward-thinking CFOs are no longer waiting for traditional settlement cycles to plan their strategic moves. Instead, they’re implementing systems that provide real-time visibility into cash positions and enable faster decision-making.

The shift toward treating cash velocity as a strategic priority represents a fundamental change in how companies approach financial management. Rather than viewing cash flow as a historical record, organizations are now using it as a predictive tool for navigating market volatility and securing competitive advantage.

The Future of Financial Resilience

Industry observers suggest that the emphasis on Time to Cash™ reflects broader trends in financial technology and corporate strategy. As businesses face increasing pressure from supply chain disruptions, inflationary pressures, and economic uncertainty, the ability to optimize liquidity management has become paramount.

The report concludes that companies that master cash velocity will likely outperform competitors during both economic expansions and contractions, turning financial agility into long-term staying power in increasingly volatile markets.

References

• https://www.bottomline.com/us
• https://www.fisglobal.com/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_financial_officer
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlement_(litigation)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_advantage
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_liquidity
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finance

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