The New Normal in B2B Finance

The New Normal

At Lendica, we spend a lot of time (read: like, a lot) talking about and building towards the future of finance. Here is how we see it, for those eager to waste a few more minutes.

What is a payment? What is a bank? What (the heck) is a fintech? It seems like, faster than you can say “who’s leading the round?!,” the answers are changing.

We recently launched a partnership with Altametrics – the powerhouse technology shop supporting Chipotle, TacoBell, Jamba Juice, and more – and in a matter of two weeks, they have gone from a tech firm to a tech firm that “oh by the way can also instantly qualify and fund you for a loan-type product.”

How is this possible?

Great software for starters 💁‍♀️. More than that, it’s built on the back of a major surge in demand for financing in peculiar places.

“…the [fintech movement] has gone mainstream and people now expect financing products at their fingertips.”

This trend certainly isn’t new – we’d be remiss not to mention the Big A.S.S lenders (Amazon, Shopify, and Square) who led the charge. BNPL giants (read: not at press time) like Affirm and Klarna also get their credit.

In the B2B space, the movement has gone mainstream and people now expect financing products at their fingertips. Companies like Balance, Gynger, and OatFi have taken notice and are building tools in pursuit of glomming on. Customers, especially small and medium-sized businesses, stand to benefit from the influx of targeted software and capital.

With VC money pouring in, payment and finance products on your every screen may very well be the new normal in the B2B world. Show us the odds on Clippy’s come back, “I see you’re typing an invoice.”

What will happen?

The question remains: will the fintechs “play nice?”

When a fintech company integrates with a software provider – Enterprise SaaS, ERP, POS, or ISV – to offer customer’s financing products, they are building what is called a captive market. A captive market is the equivalent of a beer at the ball park. It hits the spot… but for $15?? I guess it’s better than leaving for a six pack…

The convenience may be worth the price, but we believe ease shouldn’t be served at a premium. We’d like you to imagine Coors, Bud, and Miller competing over the sale, right from your seat.

At Lendica, we are on a mission to establish the future new normal in B2B finance – captive market with competitive prices. We draw inspiration from the mortgage, auto, and consumer credit markets.

In the meantime, we are pleased to be a part of the pack pushing for embedded payments, instant lending, and bringing back Clippy.