Scott P. Arroyo 
Today in B2B payments, vendors and buyers are pushing for more consumerized B2B payments, and Marathon Ventures is launching a $26 million growth fund for B2B platforms in emerging markets. Additionally, flexible credit options provide software platforms with increased liquidity and new growth opportunities, while frictions remain in cross-border payments.
Marathon Ventures Launches $26M Emerging Markets Startup Growth Fund
Colombian venture capital (VC) firm Marathon Ventures recently closed its first $26 million fund, saying it will invest in nearly 20 B2B platforms in fintech, software as a service (SaaS) and the steps.
The fund will bring “a focused, value-added approach to seed capital in the region,” according to Marathon Ventures’ announcement, adding that the venture capital firm will help companies build partnerships, conduct research, recruit talent and put them in contact with advisors and investors.
The new fund has invested in eight B2B platforms, representing a 2x return on the total fund size, according to the announcement.
30% of U.S. businesses say long completion time is a friction of cross-border payments
Nearly a third (30%) of U.S. businesses that engage in cross-border commerce say the long completion time is the biggest cross-border payments friction they face, according to Innovating Cross-Border Payments. , a collaboration between PYMNTS and Visa based on a survey of 456 business decision makers from 22 industries.
U.S. businesses rank long fulfillment No. 1 among their payment decision makers’ “big five” cross-border issues, with the other four being payment fraud, data security, knowledge of payment rates and fees foreign exchange (FX), and knowledge of transactions and settlements.
Among UK companies, the long completion period is the least of their worries, as they rank it fifth. Topping their list of cross-border pain points is payment fraud, cited by 33% of these companies, with data security a close second. and cited by 32%.
Flexible credit options help software startups balance growth and liquidity
More and more software companies are starting up every day to meet the growing need for software as a service (SaaS) – and often they are run using Excel spreadsheets.
SaaS Capital, which focuses on growth-stage B2B software companies with $3-30 million in revenue, helps move these companies to the next financial level and growth stage with monthly revenue recurring (MRR). Usage-based models are outperforming perpetual licenses these days, chief executive Rob Belcher told PYMNTS.
Fast, easy and familiar: Suppliers and buyers want consumerized B2B payments
Norm Marraccini, senior vice president and head of business and retail solutions at FIS, told PYMNTS that those who are still writing checks for B2B transactions now have the ability to easily pay bills and view bills on their phone.
When business owners can send a payment request, activate payment with a few clicks, and clear payments in real time, it’s a better option for the business owner than writing checks, initiating a request automated clearing house or wait days for bills, Marraccini said.
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NEW PYMNTS DATA: 70% OF BNPL USERS USE BANK PAYMENT OPTIONS, IF AVAILABLE
On: Seventy percent of BNPL users say they would prefer to use the installment plans offered by their banks – if only they were made available. PYMNTS’ Banking On Buy Now, Pay Later: Installment Payments and the Untapped Opportunity of FIssurveyed over 2,200 US consumers to better understand how consumers view banks as BNPL providers in a sea of BNPL pure-players.
