Flywire Corporation (Flywire) (Nasdaq: FLYW), a global payments enablement and software company, released a report, “Beyond Automation: What Finance Leaders Really Need from AI,” uncovering the state of Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness within the office of the CFO. Based on a survey of over 300 finance professionals at U.S. companies, the findings reveal a sector at a tipping point: while 99% of respondents believe at least some part of finance will rely on AI within five years, and have budgeted for AI tools, they want to make sure their investments have a real and lasting impact. They do not want to add more complexity, as it is apparent from respondents that right now, one of the chief bottlenecks to getting paid faster is the fact that the process lives in several different systems, and hinders them from working in a more strategic capacity.
As workloads increase and headcounts remain flat, 92% of finance leaders report a rise in accounts receivable (A/R) volume over the past year. Manual processes are the biggest bottleneck - specifically data entry (26%), following up on overdue invoices (26%), and cash application (25%). 83% say poor integration and a lack of visibility across A/R systems are their biggest challenges.
“Finance leaders are ready to embrace AI, but they are rightfully cautious about how to implement it effectively,” said Chris Couch, Head of Product, B2B, Flywire. “The data shows that ‘bolt-on’ tools are creating more complexity, not less. What these teams need is embedded, reasoning AI that acts on their behalf, identifying exceptions and matching payments with human oversight, freeing them up for more strategic work.”
Key Findings from the Report:
- A Growing Reliance on AI: 64% of finance leaders say AI will be important or essential to staying competitive in the next two years. Budgeting is already following this sentiment, with 90% of respondents having already allocated funds for AI-enabled tools.
- The "Bolt-On" Burden: Fragmented systems are a primary culprit for inefficiency. 83% of leaders cite poor integration between A/R processes and systems of record as a major challenge. More than half of companies using enterprise or accounting software like NetSuite, Xero, or QuickBooks are "bolting on" up to four different tools to manage A/R.
- The AI Wishlist: Leaders are looking for AI that does more than follow preset rules. The most sought-after capabilities include automating payment matching (98%), real-time cash flow forecasting (96%), and auto-configuring workflows (97%).
- The Trust Gap: Despite the enthusiasm, barriers remain. 39% of respondents cite a lack of trust or transparency as their top concern for using AI in collections, followed by concerns over accuracy (37%) and data privacy (34%).
Flywire’s AI-Powered Invoice-to-Cash: The Strategic Solution
Invoiced, Flywire’s AI-native Invoice-to-Cash platform, is uniquely positioned to solve the challenges identified in the survey by providing a single, fully integrated platform that automates the entire A/R lifecycle. By embedding AI functionality directly into the A/R workflow, Flywire enables businesses to:
- Reduce Payment Friction: Send invoices with embedded payment options, allowing global customers to pay in their preferred currency and method. Behind the scenes, a combination of AI technology and people are ensuring the highest levels of transaction security.
- Eliminate Manual processes: AI-enabled cash matching streamlines cash application to minimize reconciliation errors, reducing administrative burden and increasing visibility.
- Scale Without Headcount: Integration with the system of record ensures no one is minding multiple systems, and teams can focus on strategic financial management rather than repetitive data entry. Smart chasing automates the dunning process to free up time and speed payments. Finance gets real-time cash flow insight to speed financial close.
“The role of the finance professional is shifting from repetitive task management to strategic oversight,” continued Couch. “Our goal is to provide the 'AI fuel' that understands a company's specific customer history and relationship nuances, delivering a localized and effortless experience for both the payer and the receiver.
Resources
- Download the full report, Beyond Automation: What Finance Teams Really Need from AI.
About Flywire
Flywire is a global payments enablement and software company. We combine our proprietary global payments network, next-gen payments platform and vertical-specific software to deliver the most important and complex payments for our clients and their customers. Flywire leverages its vertical-specific software and payments technology to deeply embed within the existing A/R workflows for its clients across the education, healthcare and travel vertical markets, as well as in key B2B industries. Flywire also integrates with leading ERP systems, such as NetSuite, so organizations can optimize the payment experience for their customers while eliminating operational challenges.
Flywire supports more than 5,100 clients with diverse payment methods in more than 140 currencies across 240 countries and territories around the world. Flywire is headquartered in Boston, MA, USA with global offices. For more information, visit www.flywire.com. Follow Flywire on X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn and Facebook.
Safe Harbor Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Flywire's business strategy, expectations and plans of its B2B business, market growth and trends. Flywire intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “may,” “will,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “target,” “plan,” “expect,” or the negative of these terms, and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations that involve risks, changes in circumstances, assumptions, and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in Flywire's forward-looking statements include, among others, the factors that are described in the “Risk Factors” and “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of Flywire's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and available on the SEC's website at https://www.sec.gov/. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and Flywire undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
Contacts
Media:
Sarah King
[email protected]
Investor Relations:
Masha Kahn
[email protected]